Description
This captivating design is part of a series created between 1862 and 1865 by Toyokuni III, titled “Flowers of Edo and Views of Famous Places.” In collaboration with various artists, Toyokuni III crafted impressive kabuki actor portraits, while contributions from artists like Hiroshige II, Sadahide, Kunihisa, and Kyosai enriched the series with landscape designs and other scenes at the top. The term “Flowers of Edo” in the title refers to fires, and each title cartouche features the standard or matoi and lantern of a different Edo fire brigade. The detailed and expressive portraits showcase intricate wood grain backgrounds, executed with fine line work. This series is notably well-printed, featuring images with fine shading, embossing, or touches of burnishing. Many prints from this series can be found in the collection of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, making it an excellent choice for enthusiasts of kabuki art.
This print exhibits fine details, as depicted. On the reverse side, there are remnants of paper from previous backing. There are a few small repairs and instances of wrinkling. For a closer examination of these details, please refer to the attached photos.
These Woodblock Prints were created using the traditional Japanese Woodblock Printing technique, much like the way we use rubber stamps today.
The text or image was first drawn onto washi (Japanese paper), then glued face-down onto a plank of wood, usually cherry. Wood was then cut away, based on the drawing outlines. A small wooden hard object called a baren was used to press or burnish the paper against the inked woodblock to apply the ink to the paper. Although this may have been done purely by hand at first, complex wooden mechanisms were soon invented and adopted to help hold the woodblock perfectly still and apply proper pressure in the printing process. This was especially helpful with the introduction of multiple colours that had to be applied with precision over previous ink layers.
While, again, text was nearly always monochrome, as were images in books, the growth of the popularity of ukiyo-e brought with it demand for ever increasing numbers of colours and complexity of techniques.
These prints are rendered using Nishiki-e (“brocade pictures”)—a method of using multiple blocks for separate portions of the image, using a number of colours to achieve complex and detailed images. A separate block was carved to apply only the part of the image designated for a single colour.
Special Comments
A print by Toyokuni III/Kunisada (1786 - 1864).This Japanese print is by default a limited edition because these were printed only as long as the wood block printed crisp. It was discarded as soon as it became blunt so only a few hundred or so copies of such prints survive today worldwide.
This is an original woodblock print on Japanese paper and may have some time induced damage as it is at least a century old. Please review the print carefully. It is sold as is.
Japanese Woodblock Prints come as a single print or a set of three panels or compartments side by side (Triptych) or a set of two panels or compartments side by side (Diptych).
Some Japanese prints may be a single panel which was a part of a Triptych or a Diptych. They are priced accordingly.