Catalog (797)

Ito Sozan
Geese in Moonlight
Date: pre-1936.
Size: Tanzaku. 15 x 6.75 inches.
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo.
Made in Japan stamped on verso.
Artist's signature and seal at lower left.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Back has pencil note and slight residue at top.

Ito Sozan
Peahen
Date: Pre-1923. Pre-earthquake.
Size: Tanzaku. 11.75 x 5.25 inches.
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo.
Artist's double red square seal at lower right.
Reference: Attribution by Mauro Novelli as T-48 at itosozan.com.
Medium: Crepe (chirimen) Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Lightly foxed.

Eagle Perched on a Cliff
Artist: Not Known.
Date: ca 1930s.
"Made in Japan" stamped on verso.
Size: Approximately 8.5 x 3.75 inches
Provenance: The Robert O. Muller Estate.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent. Original white kento mark at the lower right corner.

Title: Mountain Temple and Snow
Artist: Not known.
Print size: Approximately 5.675 x 3.5 inches.
Date: 1950s-60s
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo.
Print is tipped along its top edge to original blank card.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent.

"Mandarin Ducks" and "Sparrows on Hedge"
Artist: Seals unread.
Size: Each approximately 5.625 x 3.625 inches 14.2 x 9.2 cm
Date: ca. 1910.
Publisher: Matsumoto (Nos. 427 and 424).
Medium: Japanese woodblock prints.
Condition: Ink marks as shown. Original fibers within handmade paper.
Early and rarely seen designs.

Puppies and Banana
Artist: Unidentified. This print is also known to have the unread artist's seal in our enlargement #3.
Size: Approximately 14.4 x 9.0 cm. 5.675 x 3.5 inches
Date: ca. 1910.
Publisher: Matsumoto (No. 416).
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent.
An early and rarely seen design.

Spring Field
Artist: Unidentified.
Size: Approximately 5.625 x 3.625 inches 14.2 x 9.2 cm
Date: ca. 1910.
Publisher: Matsumoto (No. 425).
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent. Wave in paper where original publisher's tag is attached to the back.
The Matsumoto catalog states, "Butterflies are flitting to and fro among the flowers."
An early and rarely seen design.

Title: Tokumochi
Artist's signature not read. The second kanji in the signature is read "haru" or "shun."
Print size: Approximately 5.125 x 3.375 inches.
Date: ca. 1930s.
Publisher: Takemura Hideo.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print tipped along its top edge onto a 6.625 x 4.75-inch greeting card containing a signed message.
Condition: Print excellent. Card is discolored.

Artist: Unsigned
Ueno Lotus Pond in Tokyo
Date: ca. 1920s-30s.
Size: Approximately 5.25 x 3.25 inches)
Medium: Japanese woodblock print attached along its top edge only to an used holiday card with correspondence.
Condition: Print is excellent. Tiny dot in sky. Card correspondence has marks.

Unsigned Japanese Woodblock Print
Woman in Purple on Balcony
Date: Early 20th century.
Size: 11.0 x 8.5 inches.
Provenance: From the collection of Canadian missionary Sybil Courtice, who was in Japan from the early 20th century up until WWII.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent.

Woman in Snow with Umbrella and Lantern
Artist: Unsigned.
Date: 1930s or earlier.
Size: 5.5 x 3.5 inches.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Small raised bump at lower left.

Jinbo Tomoyo (1902-1994)
Given title: Woman in Lavender Kimono
Date: 1957.
Size: 18.25 x 11.75 inches.
Edition: First.
Signed and sealed by the artist.
Carver: Sato Jurokichi. Printer: Inomura Shonosuke.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Excellent.
Note: One of just a few prints made by this artist.
Tomoyo Jinbo (Teisaburo) studied under Hirazaki Eiho and Ito Shinsui.

Jinbo Tomoyo (1902-1994)
Pensive Girl
Date: 1939.
Size: 16.5 x 11.25 inches.
Edition: First and only.
Signed and sealed by the artist.
Edition: 56 of 100. Hand numbered in Japanese on back beside one hundred limitation seal.
Artist's red seal on back with date and seals of carver (Ishizaka Kenichi) and printer (Nakamura Sanjiro).
Mica highlights on hair ornaments.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Abrasion at index finger area. A few ...

Joichi Hoshi (1911-1979)
Field
Size: 32 inches by 17.25 inches.
Date: 1974.
Edition: 63/99
Signed, dated, and numbered by the artist.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print on gold leaf.
Condition: Light toning at margin. Back margin has tape residue and one reinforced corner.
Note: Please see additional images for texture and metallics.

Joichi Hoshi (1911-1979)
Great Tree (Small)
Date: 1975.
Edition: 15/60.
Sheet Size: 9.25 x 6.5 inches.
Image size: 7.25 x 5 inches.
Signed, dated, and numbered by the artist in pencil.
Notes: Yellows, blues and greens in the tree with gold leaf metallics on silvery background. Frequently seen in unlimited edition, here is a rarely encountered numbered example.
Condition: Matte line in margin. Tape residue on back. Foxing in margin and on back.

Josetsu (Jousetsu) 城雪
Cock and Hen with Chickens under a Plum-tree
Size: 7 x 4.75 inches.
Date: ca. 1910.
Publisher: Matsumoto Print Works. Cat. #164 tag on back.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print from a painting by Tokyo artist Josetsu.
Condition: A few marks. Slight waviness corresponding to location of tag on back.

Jun (Jun'ichiro) Sekino
Postscript Thoughts on "The Book of the Ghost". This very rare booklet with woodblock-printed covers is Sekino's reflections on having produced and self-published the 1950 woodblock-printed work, "The Book of the Ghost". The cover page reads, "Please Read this Little Booklet as a Personal Letter from Me."
Publisher: The artist's Sosaku Shuppan company.
The book is a single sheet folded into eight pages and has a wonderful T. Kato ex-libris inside.
Siz...

Tsunenobu Kano (1636-1713)
Pheasant and Wildflowers
Date: 1900-1910s.
Size: 8.75 x 6.75 inches.
Medium: Japanese woodblock print.
Condition: Residue at back. Light creasing.