Kiyoshi Saitō Art

What if art was simply the mirror of life, a reflection of the multitude of our existence and perception of our environment? Around the world, printing has become an essential part o...

As a component of the broader ukiyo-e tradition, woodblock prints (known as Hanga) showcase an evolution from craft to a significant art form. Among the myriad printmakers, Kiyoshi S...

KIYOSHI SAITO (Japanese 1907 - 1997) DAITIKUJI KYOTO, 1957 Color woodcut, signed, titled, dated and no. 42/100 in pencil. Edition 100. Image 15 x 20 5/8 inches. Full margins with de...

A beautiful print of a Geisha girl sitting with the back of her kimono displayed. This is a Japanese woodblock circa the 1960s. Pencil signed lower left...

KYOSHI SAITO (1907 – 1997) GARDEN SANZEN - IN KYOTO, 1964 Color woodcut signed in the image in white, and titled, numbered 57/100 and dated 1964 in pencil. Image 20 7/8 x 15 1...

Saito, Kiyoshi (Japanese, 1907-1997). AIZU IN WINTER. Color woodblock, not dated. Signed, lower left. 10 1/2 x 15 5/8 inches, framed to 19 1/4 x 24 1/2 inches. In excellent condition.

Artist: Kiyoshi Saito (Japanese, 1907-1997) Title: Red Flower Year: 1968 Medium: Color woodcut with remark Signature: Hand signed in pencil by the artist Edition: Numbered ...

Woodblock print by Kiyoshi Saito (1907-1997). Titled in pencil with edition 139/200 and dated 1962.

Woodblock print by Kiyoshi Saito (1907-1997). Titled in pencil with edition 149/200 and dated 1961. Signed in white pigment Kiyoshi Saito with seal Kiy...

KIOSHI SAITO (Japanese 1907 - 1997) NOTRE - DAME PARIS (A) 1960 Color woodcut, signed with brush in the image, titled and numbered in pencil., 1960, Edition 105 / 120, Image 20 1...

Chic design of a seated Frenchwoman, her white hands pensive against her boldly patterned red top. Her hair is in an updo, and a blue cabochon ring stands in contrast on her left hand. Behind her are windows that seem to be stained glass. Numbered 55/120 from a limited edition. Saito traveled to Paris and created some surprising and delightful designs, as here. Perfect for the midcentury modern bedroom or living room. Signed: Kiyoshi Saito in ink. Affixed with Saito's "Self-carved, Self-printed" paper seal on back. Saito was an innovative giant in the sosaku hanga tradition of 20th century Japanese woodblock...

Woodcut print of a mask and vases Haniwa (1) (Funerary objects meant to be seen) by Kiyoshi Saito (Japanese, 1907-1997). Signed by the artist in white gouache in the lower left corner, and titled under the bottom edge of the print. Artist's stamp (chop) on verso. Below the mat, there are instructions for framing and matting the piece, possibly written by the artist. Presented in a loosely woven tan mat and simple gilt frame. Image size 9.5"H x 14.75"W. Haniwa: "Funerary objects meant to be seen": Haniwa (“clay cylinder” or “circle of clay” in Japanese) are large hollow, earthenware funerary objects found in Japan. Massive quantities of haniwa—many nearly life sized—were carefully placed on top of colossal, mounded tombs, known as kofun (“old tomb” in Japanese). During the Kofun Period (c. 250 to c. 600 C.E.), haniwa evolved in many ways—their shape, the way they were placed on the mounded tombs and, presumably, their specific function or ritual use. Japanese artist Kiyoshi Saito did not have it easy. Nature endowed him with an impulse for art and the drive to make the impossible possible. Saito studied European artists to recognize the qualities in the Japanese tradition itself, for which the modern international trends strive. His woodblock prints using traditional Japanese technique are among the most sought after pieces in the art market. Kiyoshi Saito was born in 1907 in a small village named Bange in the Kawanuma District of the Fukushima prefecture in the northern part of Honshu, the main Japanese island. When he was five years old, his father lost his business in Fukushima and the family moved further north to the island of Hokkaido, where his father worked in the coal mines in Otaru. When Kiyoshi Saito was thirteen years old, his mother died and he himself was sent away to become the guardian of a buddhist temple. He tried to escape but failed. Nevertheless the priests allowed him to return home. Saito then went to Hokkaido, where he took on a sign painting apprenticeship, which could have provided him a living for several years. At that time he dreamed of becoming a painter and he began to sketch gypsum casts at night. He founded his first sign painting business before his twentieth birthday and ensured himself a living and modest financial success. He reluctantly abandoned it, however, to study art in Tokyo. For the time being he was content with studying illustrations in western newspapers and collecting animations. While visiting Tokyo in 1932, he boldly decided to surrender himself to the big city life. He first worked as a sign painter and then later from 1944 until 1954 as an employee of the Asahi Newspaper Company. The job however was a secondary matter. More importantly, Saito became a close contact to Shiko Munakata through the job. He then decided to become familiar in the technique of woodcutting, and was not the least impressed by the color wood block prints of the western-oriented painter Yasui Sotaro (1888-1955). Saito continued to paint with oil and taught himself the techniques of wood block printing. In 1937 he presented both types of work for the first time in the famous Kokugakai Exhibition and was highly motivated. When he met Ono Tadashige at the Ginza Exhibition in 1939, he became a member of his artists group, which preceded the outside group Sosaku Hanga. There he discovered the possibilities of color woodcuts with multiple printing plates and his distinctive personal style began to take form. The acquaintance with mentor Koshiro Onchi soon opened doors to famous galleries, where most notably American purchasers took an interest in Saito's work. Kiyoshi Saito emerged as Japan's most productive woodblock print artist, whose editions soon found worldwide markets. Sosaku Hanga artists were, however, first dismissed in the Japanese art world and their works were considered concessions to American tastes. This abruptly changed, however, in 1951 at the first Sao Paulo Art Biennial, when a panel of judges gave prizes not to distinguished artists for oil paintings...