Posts by Richard Kruml:
Hishikawa MOROSHIGE (FL. 1684-1704)
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An original painting showing a high-ranking samurai household at leisure. Moroshige was the senior pupil of Hishikawa Moronobu, and, it is said, was the father of Furuyama Moromasa. Sumi and full colour with gold additions on paper. 11.5 x 19 in; 29 x 48.25 cms. This is most likely from a handscroll as the height is correct, and the slight vertical striations indicate it has been rolled at some time. Painted c. 1700. Some slight loss of pigments, especially the verdigris and minor marks, but all commensurate with the age of the painting. The details on the costumes of the two main figures are exquisite.
Status: Available
KYOJINSAI (Fl. c 1789-1801)
Click here to view image full size. A large and fine original painting by an artist whom I am unable to find in the literature; possibly a pseudonym. Shows a high-ranking courtesan wearing a sumptuous kimono under cherry blossom. Full colour on paper, 49.25 x 20 in; 125 x 51 cms. The calligraphy above is […]
Utagawa HIROSHIGE (1797-1858)
Click here to view image full size. Omi, Biwako Ishiyamadera, “Ishiyama Temple and Lake Biwa in Omi [Province].”From a set of 69 prints [Dai Nihon] Rokujuyoshi meisho zue, “Famous Places in the Sixty-odd Provinces [of Japan]” published by Koshihei between 1853 and 1856, this being 1853. Moonlight on Lake Biwa is one of the iconic […]
Tsukioka YOSHITOSHI (1839-1892)
Click here to view image full size. A triptych showing carp swimming beneath wisteria. A rare and extremely unusual subject in Yoshitoshi’s canon of work. Koi are symbols of love and friendship in Japan. The breeding of ornamental carp began in the 1820s. The outside world was unaware of the advances in breeding colour variations […]
Utagawa HIROSHIGE (1797-1858)
Click here to view image full size. Iyo Province, Saijo. From a set of 69 prints [Dai Nihon] Rokujuyoshu meisho zue, “Famous Places in the Sixty-odd Provinces [of Japan]” published by Koshihei between 1853 and 1856, this being 1853. A large furled sail in the foreground with Saiju village on the water’s edge. Beyond is […]
Ikeda EISEN (1790-1848)
Click here to view image full size. Two beauties in front of a mirror, Ada ni torikumite, “Grudge Match” from a set Ukiyo shiju hatte, “Forty-eight Habits of the Floating World.” This was a popular title for sets of prints – especially during the next thirty years. The sub-titles are quite obtuse, whereas in later […]
Katsukawa SHUNSHO II (Active 1818-1830)
Click here to view image full size. Minamoto no Yoshinaka Shitenno to tomoni Kiso no okuyama ni Tengu o taiji su, “Minamoto Yoshinaka and His Four Retainers Defeat the Tengu in the Deep Mountains of Kiso.” Minamoto no Yoshinaka is seen in the centre panel, Higuchi Kanemitsu on the right holding a sword and Imai […]
Ichiryusai HIROSHIGE (1797-1858)
Click here to view image full size. An original painting showing the old lighthouse at Tempozan, Osaka. To the left is the mount which was formed by earth dredged from the Ajigawa in 1831 to allow easier access for ships. In the foreground masts of moored vessels. There appear to be few images of this […]
Uragami GYOKUDO (1745-1820)
Click here to view image full size. An original painting, sumi with light touches of pink on paper. Image size 10.4 x 14.2 in; 26 x 36 cms. Shows a hilly landscape with a small figure crossing a bridge bottom left. Gyokudo is now considered the leading exponent of Nanga painting. An artist whose spontaneous […]
Oda KAISEN (1785-1862)
Click here to view image full size. A concertina painting album, full colour on paper, 11 x 6.5 in; 28 x 16.5 cms folding out to 11 x 13 in; 28 x 33 cms. Twenty six paintings in the Shijo manner. Kaisen moved to Kyoto when he was 22 years old and studied under Matsumura […]
Utagawa HIROSHIGE (1797-1858)
Click here to view image full size. Kozuke, Harunasan setchu, “Kozuke [Province], Mount Haruna Under Snow.” From a set of 69 prints [Dai Nihon] Rokujuyoshi meisho zue, “Famous Places in the Sixty-odd Provinces [of Japan]” published by Koshihei between 1853 and 1856, this being 1853. A red bridge spans a gorge leading to the Buddhist […]
Utagawa HIROSHIGE (1797-1858)
Click here to view image full size. Mimasaka, Yamabushidani, “Mimasaka [Province], Yamabushi Valley.”A high wind and rain in the valley with a man on a raft on the Yoshi River. Other figures in the foreground, one having lost his hat. From a set of 69 prints [Dai Nihon] Rokujuyoshi meisho zue, “Famous Places in the […]
Utagawa YOSHITORA (Fl. c 1850-1880)
Click here to view image full size. An okubi-e of the onnagata actor Bando Mitsugoro V in the role of Shindo Saemon’s daughter Yushide. From a set of large heads of actors past and present which were to be the pinnacle of Kunisada’s career. The set was intended to have one hundred and fifty prints […]
Utagawa KUNISADA (1786-1865)
Click here to view image full size. The actor Ichikawa Danjuro VIII as Shibuya Konnomaru Masatoshi from a set Edo meisho zue, “Famous Places of Edo.” This being Shibuya. Published by Iseya Chusuke 1852. Very good impression. Good colour and condition. Signed Toyokuni ga. Status: Available
Ichiyusai KUNIYOSHI (1797-1861)
Click here to view image full size. A triptych showing the legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi (centre) battling Shirakura Dengoemon (left) and his henchmen. The story usually relates how a jealous Dengoemon plots to kill Musashi by inebriating him and locking him in a bath house without his sword. However, Musashi, wielding a huge broken beam, […]
Toyohara KUNICHIKA (1835-1900)
Click here to view image full size. A vertical diptych showing the actor Onoe Kikugoro V as the archvillain and sorcerer Nikki Danjo emanating in a cloud of smoke from his alter ego – the giant rat. He holds in his mouth the scroll containing the names of the conspirators given to Masaoka which he […]
Kawamata TSUNEYUKI (1677-c 1744)
Click here to view image full size. An original painting, full colour on paper, 13 x 19 in; 33 x 48.3 cms. Shows a reclining beauty playing a shamisen. The subtle outline of her body can be seen through her yukata. A tasseled pillow behind her and a fan lying on the floor. Tsuneyuki was […]
Sakai HOITSU (1761-1828)
Click here to view image full size. One volume complete Oson gafu, “Drawing Book of Oson.” (This being one of the artist’s names taken from the village Uguisu-mura where he lived in retirement.) The Rimpa artist Hoitsu revived the work of Ogata Korin (1658-1716). Dated on the first preface Bunka 13 (1816) and was originally […]
Utagawa KUNIYOSHI (1797-1861)
Click here to view image full size. A poem by the celebrated poet Bunya no Yasuhide from the series Hyakunin isshu no uchi, “One Hundred Poems for One Hundred Poets” which was compiled in 1235 by Fujiwara Teika (1162-1241). The poet in the background watches as a fierce wind blows away some of the umbrellas […]
Utagawa KUNISADA (1786-1864)
Click here to view image full size. A sheet of original drawings being hanshita-e for an ehon. Shows, above, a seated samurai and a female figure to the right holding a mirror. Below, actors in a garden setting. Sumi with touches of red on thin paper laid onto thicker Japanese paper, 14 x 10 in; […]
Tsukioka YOSHITOSHI (1839-1892)
Click here to view image full size. A triptych from a set of ten: Dai Nippon shiryaku zue, “Short Illustrated History of Great Japan.” Each print is in the form of an unrolled makimono. This design shows the third son of the twelfth century Emperor Keiko, Yamato Takeru no mikoto (Wo-usu). His father was constantly […]
Shotei HOKUJU (Active 1787-1818)
Click here to view image full size. Kai no kuni Saruhashi no shinsha no zu, “A True View of the Monkey Bridge in the Province of Kai.” An impressive wooden bridge spans a deep chasm. It was called the “Monkey Bridge” because the original rickety plank structure was so precarious that only an agile monkey […]
Toyohara KUNICHIKA (1835-1900)
Click here to view image full size. The actor Otani Tomoemon V as Danshichi Kurobei, a fishmonger and an Osaka otokodate, in the drama Natsu matsuri Naniwa kagami, “Summer Festival: Mirror of Osaka.” From an untitled set of large-head actor portraits published by Gusokuya Kahei, 1869. Based on actual events, the scene depicted here is […]
Utagawa KUNIYOSHI (1797-1861)
Click here to view image full size. A large original drawing, sumi on thin paper, 12 x 20.5 in; 30.5 x 52 cms. Shows a battle between two armies. Provenance: Ex collection Dr. Julius Kurth (1870-1949), an eminent scholar who wrote extensively on Japanese and Chinese art. Sold “as is” with all imperfections. […]
Utagawa KUNIYOSHI (1797-1861)
Click here to view image full size. A large original drawing, sumi on thin paper, 15 x 20 in; 38 x 51 cms. Shows a large group of actors in front of a theatre. Most likely two sheets for an intended triptych. There appears to be the publisher’s seal Kiya Sojuro brushed-in at the bottom […]
Katsukawa SHUNCHO(Fl. c 1780-1801
Click here to view image full size. The first sheet of a triptych showing travellers on a mountain path – possibly the Tokaido Road. Published by Eijudo (Nishimuraya Yohachi), c 1790. Other impressions in the MFA Boston, acc. no. 21.5953 and the BM, 1910, 0212, 0.439. Little is known of Shuncho’s life. He was a […]
Utagawa KUNIYOSHI (1797-1861)
Click here to view image full size. Travellers viewing Mount Asama. Usui-toge yori Asama o miru zu, “A View of Mount Asama from Usui Pass.” From Kuniyoshi’s best landscape set. Of the utmost rarity with most extant impressions differing. This and the impression in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, are similar, without the smoke […]
Kitagawa UTAMARO (1753-1806)
Click here to view image full size. Presumably the last sheet of a triptych (I cannot locate the complete design at the moment). Shows three geisha representing three of the Seven Lucky Gods: Benzaiten, Fukurokuji, Ebisu. The other sheets would show the other four. They are depicted on the Takarabune, ” Treasure Ship” which has […]
Kitagawa TSUKIMARO (Active c 1804-1836)
Click here to view image full size. An original painting, full colour on dark silk, 33.5 x 11.5 in; 85 x 29 cms. Shows a Chinese beauty – possibly Yang Guikei – collecting medicinal leaves from a Japanese spice bush. An intriguing painting with Ukiyo-e elements fused with both Chinese and Western styles. Tsukimaro was […]
Kawanabe KYOSAI (GYOSAI) (1831-1889)
Click here to view image full size. A draughtsman of great dexterity with a wild, often bizarre, imagination. Loved sake, sometimes painting under its influence. At an early age studied under Kuniyoshi, then Maemura Towa and later Kano Tohaku Chinshin before becoming an independent painter at 27. Was famous for his crow paintings but also […]
Yamamoto SHOUN (1870-1965)
Click here to view image full size. A large original painting , full colour with gold on silk, image size 50.5 x 19.75 in; 128.25 x 50 cms. Shows Shoki, the Demon Quellor, with sword drawn watching an oni escaping on a cloud, upper left. Various Chinese legends exist regarding the origins of Shoki but […]
Suzuki HARUTSUGI (HARUJI) (Active 1760-1770)
Click here to view image full size. A large koban print, 8.75 x 6 in; 22.25 x 15.25 cms, showing a samurai with two attendants. Aki, “Autumn” from a set of the four seasons, Shiki. A rare artist and most likely a follower of Harunobu. Produced a number of pillar prints. Provenance: Ex Javal, sold […]
Ichiryusai HIROSHIGE (1797-1858)
Click here to view image full size. Wada from the Sixty-nine Stations f the Kisokaido. The set was started by Eisen and published by Hoeido in 1835, but in 1837 Hiroshige took over and completed the series with the publisher Iseiri (Kinjudo). Wada is the highest point on the Kisokaido and Hiroshige shows travellers traversing […]
Toyohara KUNICHIKA (1835-1900)
Click here to view image full size. The actor Otani Tomoemon V playing the role of Ono no Michikaze (also read as Ono no Tofu) in the play Ono no Tofu Aoyagi Suzuri performed at the Ichimura-za Theatre, 5/1869. From a set of at least 22 prints published by Gusokuya Kahei, 1869. Kunichika produced some […]
Tamagawa SHUNSUI (Active 1772-1781)
Click here to view image full size. A hashira-e, “pillar print” by a rare artist, a pupil of Choshun who went on to teach Katsukawa Shunsho. Produced a few chuban, hosoban, and pillar prints. Shows the Minamoto (Genji) warrior Kumagai Naozane ,above, attacking the Taira (Heike) warrior Taira no Atsumori, below, at the battle of […]
Utagawa HIROSHIGE II (1826-1869)
Click here to view image full size. The Dragon’s Maw Mountain, Bizen Province, Bizen tatsu-no-kuchiyama from an unfinished set Shokoku meisho hyakkei, “One Hundred Views of Famous Places in the Provinces” published by Uoya Eikichi between 1859 and 1861 (this being 1860). Shows a lone figure battling a heavy rainstorm in a steep-sided canyon. […]
Utagawa KUNIYOSHI (1797-1861)
Click here to view image full size. A rare early Kuniyoshi triptych, Minamoto no Yorimitsu no Shitenno tsuchigumo taiji no dzu, showing Minamoto no Yorimitsu (Raiko) and his loyal retainers: Watanabe no Tsuna, Usui no Sadamitsu, Sakata no Kintoki and Urabe no Suetake killing the giant “Earth Spider.” Numerous versions exist of this story but […]
Utagawa TOYOKUNI I (1769-1825)
Click here to view image full size. An original painting, sumi and colour on silk, 10.5 x 8.75 in; 26.7 x 22.2 cms. A beauty after a bath. Signed Toyokuni ga with his kakihan. In very good condition. Status: Available Click here to view image full size.
Totoya HOKKEI (1780-1850)
Click here to view image full size. An original painting, full colour with gold outline to robe, 32 x 10.75 in; 81.3 x 27.3 cms, on silk. Shows a beauty erotically biting on her hand towel (tenugui) while on the way to a public bath house. This gesture represented deep emotion. Hokkei was one of […]
Tsubaki CHINZAN (1801-1854)
Click here to view image full size. An original painting album, 11 x 13 in; 28 x 33 cms (folded out). Chinzan, a Nanga painter, was Watanabe Kazan’s best pupil. The sketchbook has 25 extremely abbreviated sketches using minimal brushstrokes. Status: Available Click here to view image full size. Click here […]