An unusually scarce, pre-earthquake design from the series “Selection of Scenes of Japan”.
An informal fish market seems to be taking place, with a man in an apron holding up what looks to be a tuna. Other villagers gather on the beach, probably inspecting wares that were freshly delivered by the nearby fishing vessels. The small boat at left may be a ferry vessel. The morning sun is still a bright yellow, glowing behind the mountains. As Narazaki wrote: “Villagers and boat passengers gather along a coastal dune. This is the first work by Hasui that deals with a group of people, whose small forms in this composition are beautifully portrayed. A few fishing boats compose the middle ground, the spa town of Beppu and the faraway mountains are silhouetted in a purplish blue”. Beppu is one of Japan’s most famous hot spring resorts, home to more than two thousand onsen. This view seems to be from Mochigahama Beach; although the view from the sand looks much the same, urban sprawl seems to have completely covered most of the flat lands between the mountains and the sea, and this rural view that could be from hundreds of years ago has captured a charmingly pre-industrial scene that has largely disappeared. From a limited edition, verso, numbered “nine” from an edition of 300 prints.
Afternoon version of this famous design, with strong, vibrant colors. Quite rare.
Date: 1925
Afternoon version of this famous design, with strong, vibrant colors. Quite rare.
Condition: Very good impression, color and condition.
Dimensions: ôban
Seal: “Jizuri” (self-printed) plus red artist’s seal
Signature: Yoshida (in brush)
Mount Fuji from Mizukubo 水久保
Date: 1936 (this version postwar)
Mount Fuji is seen from Mizukubo, the sky a dramatic purple-pink. The prewar versions have a much more subtle coloration, but this version is more dramatic. This view is from Fuji’s less perfect southeast side, where the Hoei crater and peak were formed due to a huge eruption in 1707. We see a few thatch-roofed buildings that crouch in the dusk beside a stream, their windows aglow with soft yellow. Most extant impressions of this work are postwar, as here; they also often bear no publisher’s mark.
Condition: Excellent impression and color; very good condition. With numerous areas of tape remnants, verso.
Dimensions: 26.2 x 39.6 cm Publisher: Watanabe Shôzaburô Signed: Hiroaki
The Kasuga Shrine in Nara in rain 奈良春日大社
Date: 4/1933
Series: Collected Views of Japan II, Kansai Edition 日本風景集 ＩＩ 関西篇
We are treated to the view of the glowing vermilion Kasuga Shrine, along with two women in kimono who approach it beneath a shared umbrella. Rain falls in fine silver threads, and the wet surface in the foreground includes skillfully created shimmering reflections. Kasuga Taisha Shrine was founded by Emperor Shotoku in 768, and the Kasuga Festival on March 13th has been held for more than 1200 years. This shinto shrine has been revered by emperors and rulers since ancient times, and its treasure hall contains thousands of items donated by the aristocracy over the centuries. Today the shrine grounds and surrounding area has been designated a World Heritage Site. With the Watanabe seal that was in use 1930-1942, this may be considered a “first” edition.
Condition: Excellent impression and condition. Very good/near excellent color. Dimensions: ôban (39 x 25.8 cm)
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo; Seal “C”
Literature: Narazaki # 222, Hotei/Brown #317. See MFA Boston
Signature: Hasui Seal: Kawase
Series: Fuku Zukushi. “Customs of the East: A Collection of Fuku Words”
東風俗福つくし Date: 1889
Fukujuso is also known as an adonis flower, and its name also means fortune-longevity-plant; its deep yellow hue also suggests the wealth of gold. Here we see two women visiting a night market in winter, shopping for their New Year’s decorations. They are at the stand of a plant seller, and the woman at right is pointing towards the potted adonis flower that the vendor is holding in his left hand. This plant is traditionally considered auspicious to display in the New Year, so we see a number of the flowers in a variety of pots on display. To the right we see what look like miniature plum trees for sale. The woman at right wears a fringed shawl over her kimono, and we see an oil lamp burning at each stand. This series features many interesting details of life in the Meiji era, including the changes in dress and decor.
This amusing series elaborates on words containing the sound “Fuku”; here we also see “Huku Giusoii{u}” in Romaji. Fuku (huku) also means blessings, or good fortune.
Chikanobu is one of the few ukiyo-e artists to be the eldest son of a samurai family. He was a retainer of the Sakakibara clan of the Takada Domain. He studied first with Kuniyoshi, and then with Kunisada, and then with Kunichika. In 1868 Chikanobu actually participated in the Battle of Ueno during the Boshin War as a samurai of his domain. He resumed his career as an ukiyo-e artist around 1875.
Condition: Very good impression and condition. Excellent color. Dimensions: ôban (35.5 x 24 cm)
Publisher: Takegawa Unokichi
Signature: Yôshû Chikanobu-hitsu with his toshidama seal in red
Lake at Hakone はこねの湖すい (Hakone no kosui)
Series: Thirty-six Views of Mt Fuji 富士三十六景 (Fuji sanju rokkei)
Date: 4/1858
The unmistakable and symmetric cone of Mount Fuji rises clear and strong above the mists as seen from Lake Ashinoko (also known as Hakone Lake) in the resort area of Hakone. Not a soul is in evidence, nor signs of human habitation, as our view features green hills atop gentle yellow cliffs. This scene is probably almost the same today, as the area remains very lightly developed. Bright yellow clouds lie just beyond Mount Fuji, so this may likely be a morning view.
Condition: Excellent impression, color and condition. Fresh and clean. Minor repaired binding holes in right margin
Dimensions: ôban (36.2 x 24.8 cm)
Publisher: Tsuta-ya Kichizô
Signature: Hiroshige ga
Lady Yu, the wife of Xiang Yu, the King of Chu 楚項羽妻 虞氏
Series: Military Tales of the Han and Chu (War stories of China´s So dynasty) (Kan-So gundan – 漢楚軍談) Date: ca. 1827
We see the historical Lady Yu dressed from head to toe as a Chinese warrior and holding a fearsome double-edged pole arm weapon. She wears layer upon layer of military finery and with one arm holds the bridle of a horse. The coat of the horse has been rendered with starbursts of fur in an unusual way, and the background has also been rendered in a non-ukiyo-e manner. This series might be seen as a challenge by Kunisada to Kuniyoshi, who had almost single-handedly created the new musha-e (warrior) genre. Great attention has been paid to Lady Yu’s costume, which includes complex components that are highly decorated. Her expression is one of determination, and she wears a red undergarment that circles her neck; both the horse and this garment seem to presage her ultimate sacrifice, taking her own life so that her husband can escape the enemies that surround them. Her husband thus escapes on horseback, carrying her head on the pommel of the horse.
Condition: Excellent impression; very good color and condition. Trimming, especially at top and bottom. Dimensions: ôban 36.3 x 25.3 cm
Publisher: Nishimuraya Yohachi
Signature: ôju Gototei Kunisada ga
References: See Kunisada’s World, Page 107, National Museum of Asian Art, Anne van Biema Collection, Chazen Museum of Art.
New and Creative: Japanese Prints from the 20th Century
September 11–18, 2026
Online Exhibition
Our September online exhibition features woodblock prints by the shin-hanga “new prints” giants Kawase Hasui (1883-1957) and Ohara Koson (1877-1945) as well as a selection of works from the “creative prints” (sosaku hanga) movement. Featured are a number of pre-1923 earthquake designs by Hasui, including the blazing orange version of Kamino Bridge, Fukagawa, from 1920. Nine sosaku hanga designs are featured from the “100 Views of New Japan” series, published between 1938-1941 and whose artists include Onchi Koshiro (1891-1955), innovative leader of this “self-printed” movement.
We invite you to discover these remarkable works online here!
Latest Acquisitions
We are pleased to share their newest acquisitions!
New treasures are added every other day, so visit often and discover something inspiring each time.
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.
