Otowa-no-taki 音羽の滝
Series: Grateful Thanks for Answered Prayers: Waterfall-striped Kimono Fabrics (Taigan jôju arigataki no shima 大願成就有ヶ瀧縞 )
Ca. 1845
We see a thoughtful young woman during a moment of relaxation and introspection. She leans on a decorated armrest that has small rolled scroll of Buddhist sutras and herr hair is fashioned in a relaxed style. She has reached beneath her red under-kimono to touch her cheek with her right hand. Peeking out beneath the left sleeve of her striped kimono is a Buddhist crystal rosary, which means the scroll must be a Buddhist text. She wears a red under-kimono and a blue kimono with a pattern of cherry blossoms on bamboo. Atop her kimono she wears a cloak with waterfall stripes of purple, blue and white; this garment includes a large crest on her shoulders comprised of a chain with tassel. Her shoulder is covered by a purple cape. In her left hand she holds a chain of juzu, of which part only shows under her left kimono sleeve. Her obi has the design combination of stylized waves and hitodama, spirits of the departed.
The poem above her head is by Hôju-tei Funauta, and refers to murasaki, the color purple, in connection with ao-bôzu, a monk; and yamakaze, spring wind.
In the inset a monk (perhaps Seigen), holding a water bucket, climbs up the stairs, looking down on to many colorful umbrellas. Behind him is a blossoming cherry tree in spring. On the right the two sacred waterfalls: Otowa-no-taki,at the Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto. The two streams, Konjiki-no-mizu/golden water, symbolizing fulfillment of a wish and Enmei-no-mizu, symbolizing longevity are directed by waterspout from the streams of Mt. Otowa.
The text reads: 宝珠亭船唄 葉さくらに花の梢も青坊主 ちらすはをしき春の山風
Regarding this interesting series, the series title contains multiple layers of wordplay. The major theme is waterfalls, both in the larger design as well as for figures in the inset cartouches. In the Japanese Buddhist tradition it was not uncommon to purify the mind and body by standing beneath a waterfall—the most famous example of this in ukiyo-e would be Mongaku. However, it seems that this series also an advertisement to promote kimono, namelydesigns of takishima,瀧縞, stylized waterfalls as stripes. Kuniyoshi therefore depicts female figures who seem more like ordinary women than the perfected images of idealized courtesans.The ten women in this series all wear kimono with designs of takishima, stylized waterfalls as stripes, accompanied by a kyoka poem. The insets introduce related persons in history, mostly with waterfalls behind them. This is the first design in the series.
The ten waterfallsin this series are: 1.Otowa-no-taki 音羽の滝with kyooka poem Yamakaze2. Nunobiki-no-taki 布引の滝with Taira-no-Kiyomori3.Hakonesan Tamadare-no-taki箱根山玉簾の滝 4. Kikujidoo菊慈童5. Hako-oo-maru箱王丸6. Kyoyu許由 . 7. Kinkaku-ji金閣寺8. Nachi-no-taki那智の滝9. Narukami鳴神, 10. Kintaroo Koi-tsukami金太郎鯉つかみ. This is the fourth in the series.
Condition: Excellent impression, color and condition. Fold near left margin and tiny binding holes near right margin. Dimensions: ôban (36.5 x 24.8 cm) Publisher: Iba-ya Sensaburô Literature: Robinson 1961, no. 111.4. The Tokyo Metropolitan Central Library has en example with a severe center fold; Seal: kiri Signature: Chô-ô-rô Kuniyoshi ga
Rice Inflation Satire: Picture of Tug of War with a Personified Bale of Rice (Kome-dawara tsuna-hiki no zu米俵綱引の図)
Delivered on 10th May 1880 (明治13年5月10日お届け)
Interesting satirical triptych that somehow feels relevant 150 years later in regards to inflation and export politics. We see a scene of a struggle over a man with the head of a straw rice bale between merchants and working class Japanese citizens. On the top of the hill, we see the messengers of the founding Goddess of Japan, Amaterasu-Ômikami, and on the right corner is a group of important looking officials, a Chinese man standing in the back. The straw-rice-bale-man says “Some want me to go down, and others want me to go up. I don’t care much which way. It’s a bit confusing!”
The people pulling down are handworkers, rickshaw men, merchants, geisha, and steeplejacks as well as women homemakers. To the right is a fireman tying on a head wrap, his tool resting on his shoulder. According to the text, they are all complaining of the rising price of rice due to buy-ups by merchants, whose goal is to sell/export with a higher price.
Next to the pine tree of “Tôhoku Shimo-ga-matsu 東北の下が松”＊ a man with a top hat waves a flag with stylized character “Rice 米”. He says “35,000,000 people (Japanese population at the time) earned it! Pull down!”
On the other side, indicated by a sign in yellow upper left, “Cunning Merchants (San-shô-kan 山商奸)”**on the hillside, well-dressed merchants/export business men are cheering themselves to “pull up”, hinting also to pull up the price.
Above them are four heavenly messengers flying on clouds with bachi, the plectrum of shamisen, in their hands. “Bachi” also means “punishment”. Here the messengers are saying “You will be punished if you pull up (the price) so much”. They seem to be beating down the merchants with their giant plectrum as weapons. This is a charming visualization of the issues surrounding export policies and inflation and public opinion.
On the opposite side of the lake there is a sign in yellow reading ”Mountain Pass of Slyness’ (kôkatsu-tôge狡猾峠).
*“Tôhoku Shimo-ga-matsu 東北の下が松”: Tohoku, Northeast Japan is considered as a granary of Japan, especially with the rice-producing region consisting of six prefecutures: Akita, Aomori, Miyagi, Yamagata, Fukushima, and Iwate. In Yamagata Pref. there is a pine tree called Shimo-ga-matsu, where a writer Takayama Chogyû of Yamagata Pref. lamented his unrequited love under a pine tree. As a result this expression is used for a wish which cannot be realized. However, the translator is unsure if this was the connection in this print.
**“Cunning Merchants (San-shô-kan 山商奸)” refers to, perhaps, Chinese merchants of Shanxi 山西 Region, who had a reputation for being cunning and rather merciless but successful merchants.The writing is very similar. It is also interesting to note that the price of this print is given in the left bottom, in yellow: Price 6 sen (atai 6 sen 價六銭). (With thanks to Michiko Sato-Grube for her above research.)
Dimensions: 35.4 x 72 cm
Condition: Excellent color; very good impression and condition. Lightly backed, with a fold near the edge of two of the sheets. Signature: Hiroshige ga廣重画 and Andô Tokubei at Minami Konya-cho 27.画工 南紺屋町廿七 安藤德兵衛
Yakushiji Temple was established in 680 by Emperor Tenmu and is one of the seven great temples of Nara, and head temple of Japan’s oldest Buddhist order, the Hosso school. Inside the main hall is a triad of statues featuring the Medicine Buddha; these are made from 20 tons of bronze and are also designated National Treasures. The pagoda we see in the background must be the East Pagoda, and is the only wooden structure to have survived fires for more than 1300 years; it is one of several National Treasures at the temple complex. Apparently Ernest Fenellosa described the perfection of this pagoda as “frozen music”.
With the round postwar Watanabe seal lower left, indicating that this is a first edition.
Condition: Very good impression, color and condition. The coloration in the sky is uneven. Dimensions: ôban (38.8 x 26.5 cm)
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo
Literature: Narazaki Muneshige, Kawase Hasui mokuhanga shu, 1979, p. 158, no. 531; Kendall Brown, Kawase Hasui: The Complete Woodblock Prints, 2003, p. 576, no. 559. Andreas Marks, Japan Journeys: Famous Woodblock Prints of Cultural Sights in Japan, 2015, p. 147. Signature: Hasui
Chiyogaike Pond, Meguro 目黒 千代が池 (First Deluxe Edition)
From One Hundred Famous Views of Edo: Meisho Edo Hyakkei 名所江戸百景
1856
Peaceful springtime view of flowing water cascading into Chiyogaike Pond, which was named after the wife of a medieval warrior. The classical “glove clouds” cling to the slopes, and below them cherry trees blossom in soft shades of pink. Hiroshige has here shown the reflections of the trees in the water, using artistic license to depict these reflections, a flourish that was considered quite exotic at the time. A woman and child stand atop a tiny island, admiring the cascade of the waterfall. This beautiful place is now just a memory, as it is covered by large apartments and has been completely built over. This is from the first, or deluxe edition.
Condition: Excellent impression, color and condition. Some minor wrinkles.
Dimensions: ôban 37 x 24.8cm Date: 1856
Publisher: Uoya Eikichi
Literature: Henry Smith II: “Hiroshige’s One Hundred Famous Views of Edo”, plate 23. See the collections of the British Museum, Chazen Museum, Honolulu Academy of Art, MFA, Brooklyn Museum. Signature: Hiroshige ga
Sudden Shower over Shin-Ohashi Bridge and Atake
From One Hundred Famous Views of Edo
1857
One of the two most iconic images in Ukiyo-e (along with Hokusai’s Great Wave), we see seven pedestrians hurry along the Shin-Ohashi Bridge, vainly attempting to keep themselves covered as an afternoon thunderstorm interrupts the summer calm. Van Gogh was so impressed by this design that he created his own version in oils as an homage to this print, now in the Van Gogh museum. It would be difficult to overstate the influence that this series had on western art and artists.
Kinryusan Temple at Asakusa 浅草金龍山
From One Hundred Famous Views of Edo
1956
One of the most famous and celebrated images from Hiroshige’s most modernist series. We see the huge red lantern that hangs above the Kaminariomon (“Thunder Gate”) entrance to Asakusa Kannon Temple, also known as Sensoji Temple. This is one of the most recognizable places in Tokyo, and a symbol of Asakusa and probably one of the most popular temples in Japan even today. As most of the buildings were destroyed during World War II, it is nice to have this depiction of how the ancient structure looked. Kinryûzan Sensôji, its formal name, dates back to 628, when two fishermen discovered a small gold image of Kannon in their net; the image was enshrined there, and the temple has had a popular following through the centuries. The auspicious white and red color scheme is used specifically for celebratory occasions. For the lantern, an orange pigment made with lead was chosen so that it would oxidize to an orange-grey, the same way that an orange lantern left out in the elements would discolor over time.
Flute Player Triptych 明治十五壬午季秋絵画共進会出品画藤原保昌月下弄笛図応需
1883
ôban triptych each sheet approx 37.5 x 25.5 cm (76.5 cm)
Yoshitoshi’s masterpiece, “The painting ‘Fujiwara Yasumasa Plays the Flute by Moonlight’, Exhibited at the National Painting Exhibition in the Autumn of 1882”. We see the poet Fujiwara no Yasumasa (958-1036) playing his flute beneath a full moon on Ichihara Moor. The bandit Hakamadare Yasusuke creeps up on him, intending to rob him of his opulent robes–however, Yasusuke is so arrested by the sound of the playing that he cannot draw his sword. The bandit is so entranced by the music and by Yasumasa’s poise that he follows Yasumasa home. Yasumasa then gifts him a robe of his own, giving the tale a surprisingly happy ending. This triptych was commissioned by the publisher Akiyama Buemon after Yoshitoshi submitted a painting of this scene to the Exhibition for the Advancement of National Painting in 1882. That painting is now in the collection of the Worcester Art Museum. Yoshitoshi’s teacher Kuniyoshi also created works with this famous subject, and Yoshitoshi designed a triptych in 1868 in his early style that looks completely different. This triptych is widely considered Yoshitoshi’s greatest woodblock print design.
Condition: Excellent impression, color and condition. A fine layer of mica covers the entire work. Dimensions: ôban triptych each sheet approx 37 x 25 cm Publisher: Akiyama Buemon Literature: See MFA, FAMSF, Smithsonian, AIC, LACMA, Philiadelphia Museum of Art. Newland, Yoshitoshi (2011), #81; Shioya, “Katsureki…,” in Ukiyo-e geijutsu 147 (2004), p. 30, fig. 1; Shibuya Kuritsu Shôtô Bijutsukan, Musha-e (2003), #27; Ing & Schaap, Beauty & Violence (1992), #43; Ukiyo-e taikei 12 (1976), #27-29. Also shown in practically every catalog on this artist. Seal: Taiso and Yoshitoshi Signature: zu ôju Taiso Yoshitoshi sha
Dawn Inside the Yoshiwara
From One Hundred Famous Views of Edo
1857
“In one of the most beautifully executed prints of the entire series, Hiroshige has here placed us in a strangely evocative zone of transition, as dawn begins to break in the Yoshiwara licensed quarter”. (Henry Smith II). A male guest adjusts his head covering as he heads for home, passing the planted cherry trees after a night in the district. We see the coming of the dawn as three figures in the middle distance prepare for the departure of a guest, who is bid farewell by the courtesan herself, dressed in bright red.
Scene from the Inaka Genji, the Genji-based novel by Ryutei Tanehiko that was published in serialized form in 1829-1842 and took Edo culture by storm. Yoshitoshi here shows the protagonist Mitsuuji (the updated Genji) and his lover Tasogare as they flee her mother’s supervision to spend the night together in an old temple. Mitsuuji has wrapped a bamboo blind around them to aid their escape; both look out nervously as the wind whips her clothes and kerchief. They are isolated on the desolate moor, surrounded by plume-grass. Their feet form a circle, echoing the circle of the blind; here they must be disoriented as they search for the light of the temple in the distance.
According to the Smithsonian website, “The implicit eroticism of this vertical diptych by Yoshitoshi led to a judgment by Meiji government censors that it was injurious to public morals. One of the objections was that one of Mitsuuji’s hands is not visible. The artist is said to have responded that if everything is depicted, the flavor is lost. Despite the controversy it aroused, this print represents a high point in Yoshitoshi’s artistic renderings of dramatic scenes in beautiful natural settings imbued with deep lyricism and human emotion.”
We see a cuckoo flying against the patterned storm clouds as streaks of rain begin to fall. A three-quarter moon shines overhead. Beautiful, early edition of this famous design, printed on rather heavy paper. Here the clouds and surroundings all have extra bokashi shading that gives richness and depth to the scene.
Condition: Excellent impression, color and condition. Tiny nibble at bottom right corner. Dimensions: ôban vertical diptych (72 x 24.9 cm) Publisher: Matsui Eikichi Literature: Roger Keyes, Courage and Silence, 1983, p. 458, no. 474. Shinichi Segi, Yoshitoshi the Splendid Decadent, 1985, p. 81, no. 50; Akita Museum of Modern Art, Tsukioka Yoshitoshi: The Last Ukiyo-e Artist of Genius, 1999, p. 28, no. 84; Andreas Marks, Genji’s World in Japanese Woodblock Prints, 2012, p. 153, nos. 144-145; Ota Memorial Museum of Art, Tsukioka Yoshitoshi: 120th Memorial Retrospective, 2012, p. 129, no. 192; Yuriko Iwakiri, Yoshitoshi, 2014, p. 144, no. 214. Seal: Yoshitoshi Signature: Ôju Yoshitoshi ga
Roben Waterfall at Oyama in Sagami Province 相州大山ろうべんの瀧 (Soshu Oyama Roben no taki)
1832
Descending from the forested cliff above, Roben waterfall cascades in a smooth arc to the pool below, where pilgrims purify themselves in its icy waters. Hokusai has warmly depicted a group of such pilgrims, the men focused on the process of purifying their bodies by standing under the falls with fortitude before climbing out to dry themselves and reclaim their clothes and packs. Several of the men carry wooden swords as offerings which will presumably be offered at the Aburi Shrine that is further up Mount Oyama. We see traveling hats stacked at right with the seal of the publisher Nishimuraya Yohachi winkingly adorning the topmost one. Men here seem to be resting and conversing in a cottage, cloths hanging to dry nearby–their relaxed mien hints that they might have already visited the temple. The publisher has also snuck in his name “Ei” on the hat hanging on the fence at bottom as well as his trademark on the robe of the man dressing at lower left. This edition has been printed with a spring green rather than a lemon yellow at bottom left and in the cliffs, and the roofs are also a green-brown rather than an orange color. This impression is superior to the British museum example 1906,1220,0.558.
Condition: Very good impression, color and condition.
Dimensions: ôban (37.3 x 26 cm)
Publisher: Nishimuraya Yohei (Eijudô)
Literature: See Metropolitan Museum of Art, Art Institute of Chicago, British Museum (2 examples), Honolulu Academy of Art, Legion of Honor, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Gian Carlo Calza, Hokusai: Il vecchio pazzo per la pittura, 1999, p. 344, no. V48.4. Matthi Forrer, Hokusai: Prints and Drawings, 1991, no. 45
Signature: Saki no Hokusai Iitsu hitsu (From the brush of Iitsu, the former Hokusai)
Yanagi (Willow) from the series A Comparison of Contemporary Flowers 當世はなくらべ (Tosei hana kurabe)
ca. 1820
From an elegant early Kunisada series that compares beautiful women to flowers. A beauty, still preparing for her day, is wiping a hair comb before putting it back into a folding container that contains hair accessories. We see a brush, scissors, pomade (?) and a large needle and thread that would have been used in securing the style or ornaments. The woman is bent over in a way that echoes the willow branch in the cartouche that is bending strongly to the left. In Japan the comparison with the willow is that it is resilient, and bends beneath the weight of heavy snow but does not break. The hairstyles that the women would have had to keep immaculate must have required a great deal of attention and upkeep. Here we get a glimpse of some of the preparation that a woman would undergo as part of her beauty routine.
Early Kunisada prints like this one that are signed “Gototei” are considered the artist’s finest work.
Condition: Very good impression, color and condition.A hinging remnant and ink notation is verso. Dimensions: ôban 37 x 25.2 cm Publisher: Omiya Heihachi Signature: Gototei Kunisada ga
Strikingly inventive portrait of “Three Geisha: Kayo of Kyoto, Hitotsuru of Osaka, and Kokichi of Tokyo”. The theme of beauties from the three capitals dates back over two centuries in ukiyo-e, but here Kiyochika has used the device of overlapping the eyes to combine all three into a single oval portrait. The three share a single fan and hair ornament. The artist has also given the portrait the flavor of a photograph, and uses a western frame above with a Japanese poem card at right. In another unique twist, the woodblock printing mimics lithographic printing within the oval of the portrait. The poem card is a haiku that reads, “Oh to see moon and snow together in the mountain of blossoms”. The ancient theme of “snow, moon, flower” seems evident on the fan. WIth some mica evident in the upper cartouche.
Condition: Excellent impression and color. Very good condition; barely visible horizontal crease Dimensions: ôban (36 x 24.8 cm) Publisher: Matsuki Heikichi Literature: Pictured in “Kiyochika: Artist of Meiji Japan” by Henry D. Smith II, figure 15, page 28. See Smithsonian example online for the Muller example. Signature: Kobayashi Kiyochika
PAST ASIA WEEK NEW YORK AUTUMN 2024 ONINE EXHIBITION
Hiroshige’s One Hundred Famous Views of Edo: Selected Works
Live online on September 12, 2024
Hiroshige’s groundbreaking series 100 Famous Views of Edo was his final masterwork, redefining the landscape genre in 19th c. Japanese woodblock printmaking. Hiroshige‘s unique vision came alive with the publisher Sakanaya, who hired the finest carvers and printers and spared no expense in creating this series. Previous series by Hiroshige and Hokusai featured many significant designs in the usual horizontal format, but fewer blocks were used and thus the color palettes and the printing effects were more limited.
For this late 1850s series, Hiroshige chose the dramatic upright format, and there were many more color blocks created per image and more care taken with the printing of the early editions. The series had a seismic influence on late 19th century western art and artist, one that would be difficult to overstate. Artists like Van Gogh Monet, Manet and Whistler found this series revelatory and inspirational, along with countless other artists (and even photographers). It would not be too strong to say that it made them rethink their relationship to representational art. The unusual viewpoints, flat planes of color and strongly cropped elements by Hiroshige along with the extra care and consideration lavished on this series by the printers and carvers via publisher, make this the capstone on his storied career.
Our exhibition includes the undisputed masterpiece in this series, Sudden Shower Over Shin-Ohashi Bridge and Atake, the work selected by Van Gogh as a basis to create an homage as an oil painting, now at the Van Gogh Museum. The Brooklyn Museum of art has recently closed its exhibition on the series; its deluxe edition set is considered one of the great treasures of the Museum.
Established in 1975, Egenolf Gallery specializes in fine Japanese woodblock prints and drawings, including works by the earliest 17th century pioneers of ukiyo-e to the shin hanga masters of the 20th century. We are pleased to offer a highly curated selection of designs in exceptional condition over a broad range of prices. Our focus is providing value to our clients. Clients include museums, private collectors and dealers in the US, Europe, and Japan. First-time buyers as well as established collectors are able to buy from us with confidence, knowing that all prints and drawings are guaranteed authentic and as described.
Herbert Egenolf began dealing in Japanese prints in 1975 in Duesseldorf, Germany, following an eleven-year residency in Japan. In 1992 he invited Veronica Miller to join him in the business. After working together with Mr. Egenolf for ten years, she became the director of Egenolf Gallery following the untimely passing of Mr. Egenolf in 2002, and now is based near Los Angeles, California. In addition to our schedule of Print Fairs, viewings of prints can be arranged by appointment – contact us by phone or email.
We belong to both the International Fine Print Dealers Association (IFPDA) and the Ukiyo-e Dealers Association of Japan. Every March we participate in Asia Week, New York as well as regional Print Fairs on the West Coast.
