Dealing in fine Japanese prints, paintings and books since 1968
Dealing in fine Japanese prints, paintings and books since 1968
Click here to view image full size. A fan print showing the actor Bando Shuka I as Shirai Gonpachi from a set Mitate gonin otoko, go-hiiki no omoizashi, “A Parody of the Five Chivalrous Commoners: A Cup of Sake From Their fans.” Omoizashi means to pour sake for one’s loved one and indicates the adoration of the fans for their actors. Published by Yama-Ta, 2 Very good impression, colour and condition. Signed Toyokuni ga. Status: Sold
Click here to view image full size. An original painted fan. On one side a bird amongst flowers and the reverse also with flowers. A leading figure in Tokyo art circles and the last great representative of the Shijo school. In exceptional condition with extensive gold leaf. Signed Gyokusho with seals Shibun on both sides. Full colour on silk, each panel 39.75 x 25 in; 101 x 63.5 cms. Extremely good condition. Signed Kinzaburo Yoshitoshi ga with blurred seal but reading Go Kaisai. Extremely rare. Status: Sold Click here to view image full size. Click here to view image full size. Click here to view image full size. here to view image full size.
Click here to view image full size. An uchiwa-e (fan print) showing summer flowers : hydrangea, peony, iris, chrysanthemum, morning glory, etc against a yellow ground. Of the utmost rarity: possibly the only recorded example. Published by Ibaya Senzaburo with date seal Bunsei 10 (1827). Ex Werner Schindler collection, seal au verso, and illustrated in Masterpieces of ukiyo-e prints from the Schindler collection, Kondo/Suzuki, Tokyo, 1985, pl. 165, p. 140. Fine impression; very good colour and condition. Signed Kunimaru hitsu. Status: Sold
Click here to view image full size. An uncut fan print showing a beauty leaning on a fence and watching a dragonfly hovering above a flowering plant. Published by Maruya Jinpachi, c early 1840s. Rare and very attractive. Very good impression, colour and condition. Signed Ichiyusai Kuniyoshi ga. ga. Status: Sold
Click here to view image full size. Moon from a set Furyu settsugekka, “A Fashionable Snow, Moon, Flower.” An uncut fan print showing the actor Iwai Kumesaburo III as Shirai Gonpachi. Kumesaburo last played this role in the play Kakitsubata tamuke no harakawado performed at the Kawarasaki-za theatre in 3 Published by Kojima Jubei (who specialised in fans) in 3 Very fine impression, colour and condition. Signed Toyokuni ga. Status: Sold
Click here to view image full size. An exceedingly rare fan print showing a bust portrait of Ichikawa Danjuro VII as Soga no Goro wearing the iconic kuruma bun wig. This famous story has many versions but basically it tells how Kawazu Sukeyasu was murdered by his cousin Kudo Suketsune. Sukeyasu left two sons and his widow remarried a man called Soga. He adopted the two children and they waited patiently for an opportunity to kill Suketsune which came when he was hunting near Mt. Fuji. They killed him but were themselves slain in the ensuing battle. Published c.1827 by Maru-Mata, a publisher who seems to have only produced fan prints for a few years. Possibly Kunisada’s finest actor design in this format. A design I have never seen and probably unique. Very good impression. Good colour. Dismounted from a fan and sold “as is” with all imperfections. Signed Kunisada ga. Status: Sold
Click here to view image full size. An uncut fan print: Yoshiwara Naka-no-cho sakura doki, “Cherry Blossom at Naka-no-cho in the Yoshiwara.” Published 7 Exceptionally rare: One other trimmed impression is illustrated in Hiroshige Fan Prints, Rupert Faulkner, Unsodo, 2010, no. 55, p. 45. Fine impression and colour. Extremely good condition. Signed Hiroshige ga. Status: Sold
Click here to view image full size. An uncut fan print: Ochanomizu no seiran, “Fine Weather but Windy.” From a set Edo hakkei, “Eight Views of Edo.” Published 1847-8 by Ibaya Senzaburo (who specialised in fans). Shows two beauties caught on a blustery day to the north of the Kanda River, the aqueduct lower left and Mt. Fuji in the distance. Exceptionally rare: The V & A museum has a complete (trimmed) set, see Rupert Faulkner, Hiroshige Fan Prints, 2001, nos. 23-30 (this being no. 25). And another impression is illustrated in Ukiyo-e Art, number eighteen, Memorial Exhibition of Hiroshige, 1968, no. 3. These appear to be the only other impressions known. Fine impression. Very good colour. Slight centre fold and soil, but generally very good condition. Signed Hiroshige ga. Status: Sold
Click here to view image full size. An uncut fan print showing a bust portrait of a courtesan. Shin Yoshiwara from a set Toto meisho zue, “Famous Places in the Eastern Capital.” The original Yoshiwara district was burned down in the great fire of Meireki in 1657 and rebuilt in the new location north of Asakusa. Fine impression, colour and condition. Signed Sadahide ga. Status: Sold
Click here to view image full size. An uncut fan print showing a beauty looking into a lacquered hand mirror which she has withdrawn from a lacquered cabinet. Kunimaru produced some exceptional fans, of which this is one. However, his work in other fields is not noteworthy and it does pose the question if there were two artists with the same name ? Published 1827. Of particular interest is the design on the under-garment she is holding which has a Dutch motif of cherubs. Rare. Very fine impression with strong burnishing on the mirror case, cabinet and her hair. Fine colour. Small repaired binding holes, otherwise very good condition. Signed Kunimaru hitsu. Status: Sold
Click here to view image full size. An uncut fan print from a set of views of Ise: Ise meisho, Asakumayama toge no chamise, “Teahouses on the Mount Asakuma Pass, Famous Places of Ise Province.” Hiroshige used this same view about a decade later for no.7 from the set The Sixty-odd Provinces. He cleverly uses the cliff sides to wrap around the uchiwa-e shape. Published c.1840. Extremely rare: This actual impression illustrated in Hiroshige no uchiwa-e, Unsodo, 2010, p.78, pl.108. Ex collection Maroni with seal at bottom. (His collection was sold at public auction at Kende Galleries, N.Y. 1947-9.) Fine impression and colour. Centre fold (as often), otherwise very good condition. Signed Hiroshige ga. Status: Sold
Click here to view image full size. An aizuri fan print. Shows two travellers admiring the view of the Tama River and Mt. Koya in Kii Province. Published c 1849. Sadahide produced a considerable number of fan prints and it seems to have been a speciality of his. Rare. Very good impression and colour. Minor edge soil, otherwise very good condition. Uncut. Signed Gountei Sadahide ga. Status: Sold
Click here to view image full size. An aizuri fan print. Shows travellers arriving at Inba Marsh in Shimosa Province. This is now an important wetland habitat for wild birds. Published c 1849. Sadahide produced a considerable number of fan prints and it seems to have been a speciality of his. Rare. Very good impression and colour. Minor edge soil, otherwise very good condition. Uncut. Signed Gountei Sadahide ga. Status: Sold
Click here to view image full size. An uchiwa-e (fan print) showing summer flowers: hydrangea, peony, iris, chrysanthemum, morning glory, etc against a yellow ground. Of the utmost rarity: possibly the only recorded example. Published by Ibaya Senzaburo with date seal Bunsei 10 (1827). Ex Werner Schindler collection and illustrated in Masterpieces of ukiyo-e prints from the Schindler collection, Kondo/Suzuki, Tokyo 1985, pl. 165, p. 140. Fine impression; very good colour and condition. Signed Kunimaru hitsu. Status: Sold
Click here to view image full size. An uncut fan print showing the actor Bando Takesaburo I in the role of the Sumo wrestler Shirafuji Genta from a set: Mitate gonin otoko go-hiiki omozashi, An Imaginary Five Commoners.” Published by Yama-Ta, 2ic Superb impression with mica added to sky and burnishing. Superb colour and condition: From a group of such fans that are as the day they were first printed and must have been put together by a fan collector. Signed Toyokuni ga. Status: Sold
Click here to view image full size. An uncut fan print showing the actor Bando Shuka I: “Snow” from a Furyu settsugekka set of Snow, Moon , Flowers. Published by Kojima Jubei (who specialised in fans) in 3 Superb impression with mica added to sky. Superb colour and condition: From a group of such fans that are as the day they were first printed and must have been put together by a fan collector. Signed Toyokuni ga. Status: Sold
Click here to view image full size. An uncut fan print showing a geisha adjusting her hair pin set against a snowy landscape. Fukagawa Iyo setsu, “Time in Fukugawa, Iyo Province.” Published 3/1855 by Iseba Magobei. Fine impression and colour with splashed gofun to represent falling snow. Small expertly repaired wormhole, otherwise very good condition. Signed Toyokuni ga. Status: Sold
Click here to view image full size. An uncut fan print Gosekku no uchi, kugatu, tsuki machi, “Five Festivals, Ninth Month, Moon Viewing.” Viewing the full moon in the eighth and ninth months was a popular activity passed down from the aristocracy in Heian times; especially where the moon’s reflection could be seen in water. One such party is seen here where a member vainly attempts to catch a catfish with a gourd: A hopeless task with such an unsuitable utensil. This is based on a Zen riddle posed by Ashikaga Yoshimochi (1386-1428) on how to catch a catfish with a gourd, which inspired the 15th century artist Josetsu to paint the subject with accompanying poems on the conundrum by Zen monks. Published by Iseya Ichiemon, 1835. Fine impression and colour. Two small expertly repaired wormholes, otherwise very good condition. Signed Sadahide ga. Status: Sold
Click here to view image full size. An uncut ukie fan print, Edo meisho Eitaibashi, “Eitai Bridge, Edo.” Published by Ibaya Sensaburo, c. early 1800s. Possibly by Utagawa Kunimitsu or Utagawa Kunitora and quite possibly the only recorded impression. Very good impression and colour. Slight corner soil, otherwise good condition. Status: Sold
Click here to view image full size. An uncut fan print showing the actor Ichikawa Danjuro VIII in the role of Hanakawado no Sukeroku from a set: Mitate gonin otoko go-hiiki omoizashi, “A Parody of the Five Chivalrous Commoners, a Cup of Sake from their Fans.” Shows the actor holding a number of pipes; a shakuhachi protruding from his back. Published by Yama-Ta, 2ic Extremely fine impression and colour. Minimal soil at bottom, otherwise fine condition. Signed Toyokuni ga. Status: Sold
Click here to view image full size. An uncut fan print showing the actor Sawamura Chojuro V as Ono no Tofu (aka Ono no Michikaze) in the play Ono no Tofu aoyagi suzuri performed at the Ichimura-za Theatre, 3 Shows the character holding a large umbrella. Published by Ibaya Senzaburo, 1850 (who seems to have specialised in fans). Extremely fine impression and colour with extensive burnishing. Minimal soil at bottom, otherwise fine condition. Signed Toyokuni ga. Status: Sold
Click here to view image full size. An uncut fan print from a series: Koumei matsu tsukushi, “ Famous Kinds of Pine.” A euphemism for young beauties. One here shown holding a cage for fireflies being caught by children in the background. Published by Maruya Jinpachi, 4 Fine impression, colour and condition. Signed Kuniyoshi ga. Status: Sold
Click here to view image full size. An uncut fan print. Moon from a setsugekka set of famous views of Edo. Shows the interior of a teahouse. Published 1849-53 by Ibaya Sensaburo. Very good impression and colour. Restored centre bottom and other minor imperfections, but otherwise good condition. Signed Hiroshige ga. Very rare: Seemingly only two other impressions extant. Status: Sold
Click here to view image full size. An uncut fan print, Ryogokubashi natsu no kei, “View of Ryogoku Bridge in the Summer” from a set Hana no Edo go-ohashi, “Five Major Bridges of Edo.” Shows a beauty on the bridge with fireworks exploding above. Fireworks became so popular in the summer that the authorities had to limit them to the river. Published by Kojimaya Jubei !843-46. Fine impression and colour. Minor soil, otherwise very good condition. Signed Kochoro Kunisada ga. Status: Sold
Click here to view image full size. An uchiwa-e showing Sawamura Gennosuke II as Ushiwakamaru and Ichikawa Danjuro VII as Benkei battling on Gojo Bridge. In fact, this shows a dance with title Soga matsuri musashi no surimono from a play performed at the Kawarasaki-za Theatre, 5 The dance is today called Hashi Benkei, “Benkei on the Bridge.” The story relates how Benkei, of Herculean strength, was subdued by the young Onzoshi Ushiwaka Maru (Yoshitsune) on Gojo Bridge. Benkei was wandered around Kyoto with the intention of relieving 1000 samurai of their swords. One night, with one more sword to go, he saw Yoshitsune playing a flute and wearing a golden sword at the Gojotenjin Shrine. They agreed to fight on Gojo Bridge in southern Kyoto. However, Yoshitsune was too agile for Benkei and had been educated in the secrets of fighting by the tengu. Following Yoshitsune’s victory Benkei became Yoshitsune’s retainer. Published by Ibaya Senzaburo . Rare: Possibly unique. Fine impression and colour. Very good condition. Signed Gototei Kunisada ga. Status: Sold
Click here to view image full size. An uncut fan print with title Shinkiro no zu which has a double meaning of being the Yoshiwara in the deep sea and also a chimera or mirage. The scene enclosed in a (dreaming ?) bivalve shows visitors in a watery Yoshiwara, all with fish heads. Of the utmost rarity: This appears to be the only impression known. There are also what appear to be keying marks on three sides that have not been removed. Published by Shinagawaya Kyusuke with censor seal for 1845. Very fine impression. Fine colour and condition. Signed Hiroshige giga hitsu. Status: Sold
Click here to view image full size. An uncut fan print showing the two brine-gathering maidens of Suma Bay: Matsukaze “Pine Wind”and Murasame “Drops of Rain.” Published by Tsuruya Kiemon, c early 1840s. Rare. Very good impression, colour and condition. Signed Gountei Sadahide hitsu. Status: Sold
Click here to view image full size. An untrimmed fan print Fuji Tsukuba aiaigasa, “Fuji and Tsukuba Sharing an Umbrella.” A play on images and words: Shows the actors Nakamura Shikan II and the onnagata actor Iwai Kumesaburo II sharing an umbrella against the snow. Tsukuba, about 50 kilometers from Edo, was an area where both Fuji and Mount Tsukuba could be viewed together. Mount Fuji being the female and Mount Tsukuba the male. An aizuri-e background (common to all the designs in this set). Published by Ibaya Senzaburo, c 1829. (The publisher’s seal is on the umbrella on the following design from this set. He published a number of Kunisada’s fan sets.) Rare. Very fine impression with extensive burnishing. Fine colour. Several expertly repaired binding holes, otherwise fine condition. Signed Kochoro Kunisada ga. Status: Sold
Click here to view image full size. An untrimmed fan print Fuji Tsukuba aiaigasa, “Fuji and Tsukuba Sharing an Umbrella.” A play on images and words: Shows the actors Ichikawa Ebizo V and the onnagata actor Iwai Shijaku I sharing an umbrella against the wind. Tsukuba, about 50 kilometers from Edo, was an area where both Fuji and Mount Tsukuba could be viewed together. Mount Fuji being the female and Mount Tsukuba the male. An aizuri-e background (common to all the designs in this set). Published by Ibaya Senzaburo, c 1829 – the publisher’s seal is on the umbrella. He published a number of Kunisada’s fan sets.) Rare. Very fine impression. Fine colour. Several expertly repaired binding holes, otherwise fine condition. Signed Kochoro Kunisada ga. Status: Sold
Click here to view image full size. An uncut aizuri-e fan showing Urashima Taro astride a large turtle approaching the Dragon King’s Palace. The story relates how the fisherman rescues the turtle from some miscreant children on a beach. A few days later, while fishing, the turtle appears and rewards him by taking him to the palace (Ryugu-jo Castle) where he is thanked by Princess Otohime, the King’s daughter. After a few happy days he wishes to return to his village but discovers he has, in fact, been away for 100 years and become an old man. Extremely rare: Possibly the only known impression. Provenance: Ex collection Toni Strauss-Negbaur, seal au verso. Very good impression and colour which is mainly aizuri with colour on Urashima and the turtle. Restored centre fold and slight edge soil, otherwise good condition. Signed Sadahide ga. Status: Sold