One Hundred Famous Views of Edo: Atagoshita and Yabu Lane
(Meisho Edo hyakkei: Atagoshita Yabukoji)
titled at the upper right, Meisho Edo hyakkei: Atagoshita Yabukoji, signed Hiroshige ga, with partially visible censor’s and date seals on the top margin, aratame (examined), mi juni (year of the snake [1857] 12th month), with publisher’s seal on the lower left margin, Shitaya Uoei (Sakanaya Eikichi), 1857
oban tate-e 14 by 9 5/8 in., 35.5 by 24.4 cm
This is a view of the Atagoshita district, which is named after its location “beneath Mount Atago,” with the hill rising prominently on the right. The bamboo depicted in the foreground was a well-known landmark for the residents of Edo. It was located just outside the north side of Kato daimyo’s mansion, providing protection from the ominous northeast district, associated with the Kimon, or “devil’s gate.” This bamboo grove gave its name to Yabu (thicket) lane, a narrow path that ran along the rear wall of the mansion and leads to Toranomon. Although Yabu Lane is mentioned in the title, it is out of view in this scene.
References:
Sadao Kikuchi, A Treasury of Japanese Woodblock Prints, 1969, no. 1298
Brooklyn Museum (brooklynmuseum.org), accession no. 30.1478.112
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (mfa.org), accession no. 96.146.311
View of Suehiro Bridge near Mount Tenpo on a Moonlit Night
(Tenpozan Suehirobashi tsukiyo no zu)
signed Gogaku at upper left, the circular title cartouche with the title, Tenpozan Suehirobashi tsukiyo no zu, published by Shioya Kisuke (Kobundo), ca. 1834
oban yoko-e 10 by 14 3/4 in., 25.4 by 37.5 cm
Yashima Gakutei who trained with Totoya Hokkei (1780-1850), who, in turn, was arguably one of the best students of Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849). It is also possible that Gakutei may have trained with Hokusai directly. An accomplished kyoka poet in his own right, Gakutei is best known for his surimono, prints privately commissioned by various poetry groups which were designed to compliment the poems of the members. Gakutei moved to Osaka in the third lunar month of 1827, where he produced his best (and only) landscape series celebrating views of Osaka. This untitled series is variously known as: Famous Places of Naniwa (Naniwa meisho), Fine Views of Mount Tenpozan in Osaka (Naniwa meisho Tenpozan shokei ichiran), and Splendid Sights of Mount Tenpo at a Glance (Tenpozan shokei ichiran).
Mount Tenpo refers to a man-made ‘mountain’ located at the mouth of the Aji River where it feeds into Osaka Bay. The artificial mountain was created beginning in 1831 as a result of the dredging of the Aji River which was depositing too much sediment into Osaka Bay. Completed in 1832, the reclaimed land was more than 13 feet above sea level with a mound at the center that rose to 66 feet. Although it was officially named Mount Mejirushi, it came to be known as Mount Tenpo in reference to the Tenpo Era, and developed into a scenic area replete with cherry trees and restaurants. The northern point of access was via the Suehiro Bridge, depicted here.
References:
Sadao Kikuchi, A Treasury of Japanese Woodblock Prints, 1969, no. 1354
William Watson, The Great Japan Exhibition: Art of the Edo Period, 1600-1868, Royal Academy of Arts, 1981, p. 135, no. 119
Andreas Marks, Japanese Woodblock Prints, 2019, pp. 394-396 (multilingual edition); and 2021 (English edition), pp. 340-342
British Museum, registration no. 1907,1018,0.243
Honolulu Museum of Art, Gift of James A. Michener, 1959, object nos. 14545 & 14546
Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rogers Fund, 1922, object no. JP1412
The Hundred Poems [By the Hundred Poets] as Told by the Nurse: Ariwara no Narihira Ason [Rokkasen]
(Hyakunin isshu uba ga etoki: Ariwara no Narihira Ason)
signed zen Hokusai Manji, with censor’s seal kiwame (approved) and publisher’s seal Eijudo of Ise Sanjiro, ca. 1835-36
oban yoko-e 10 1/4 by 15 in., 25.9 by 38 cm
The print references the poem by the poet Ariwara no Narihira (825-880), who is one of the Rokkasen (Six Immortal Poets). He was apparently exiled as punishment for an affair with the Empress. The Tale of Ise (Ise Monagatari), an anonymous 10th century collection of stories and poems, is believed to be based on his diaries.
Chihayaburu
kami yo mo kikazu
Tatsutagawa
kara kurenai ni
Mizu kukuru to wa
Unheard of
Even in the age
Of the might gods
These deep crimson splashes
Dyed in Tatsuta’s waters
The Tatsuta River, located six miles west of Nara near the Horyuji Temple, has long been considered an ideal place to view red maples in autumn. Much like Mt. Yoshino is famous for its cherry blossoms in the spring, the Tatsuta is famous for the red maples lining its banks and the fallen leaves floating on the water.
References:
Helen Craig McCullough (translation), Tale of Ise: Lyrical Episodes from Tenth-Century Japan, 1968, p. 141, poem no. 106
Matthi Forrer with texts by Edmond de Goncourt, Hokusai, 1988, p. 344, no. 430 (sketch) & no. 431
Peter Morse: Hokusai: One Hundred Poets, 1989, pp. 54-55, no. 17
Matthi Forrer, Hokusai: Prints and Drawings, 1991, no. 78
Seiji Nagata, Mehinsen Ukiyo-e: Vol. IX, Hokusai II, 1991, no. 11
Gian Carlo Calza, Hokusai: Il vecchio pazzo per la pittura, 1999, p. 392, no. VI.12.3
Gian Carlo Calza, Hokusai, 2003, p. 378, no. VI.12.3
Ann Yonemura, Hokusai, 2006, p. 100, no. 68
Matthi Forrer, Hokusai: Mountains and Water, Flowers and Birds, 2008, no. 43
Seiji Nagata, Hokusai Updated, 2019, p. 246, no. 427
Sarah E. Thompson, Hokusai’s Landscapes: The Complete Series, 2019, p. 181, no. 107
Andreas Marks, Hokusai, 2024, p. 640-641, no. 17
A Journey to the Waterfalls in All the Provinces: Kiyotaki Kannon Waterfall at Sakanoshita on the Tokaido
(Shokoku Taki Meguri: Tokaido Sakanoshita Kiyotaki Kannon)
printed with blue outline block; signed zen Hokusai Iitsu hitsu, with censor’s seal kiwame, publisher’s seal Eijudo (Nishimuraya Yohachi), ca. early 1833
oban tate-e 14 3/4 by 9 7/8 in., 37.4 by 25.2 cm
This print is from a series of only eight designs which was published by Nishimuraya Yohachi (Eijudo), likely beginning in early 1833. The series is first mentioned in an advertisement found in the back of a book published around the time of the New Year in 1833. The bold compositions utilize shades of blue extensively, likely inspired by the tremendous success of Hokusai’s most celebrated series, Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji, produced by the same publisher, Nishimuraya Yohachi beginning around 1830. In the same manner as the Thirty-Six Views series, blue pigment was used for the keyblock outlines on the waterfall series, the only vertical oban series designed by Hokusai.
As is not unusual for Hokusai, his signature style varies within the series, four designs, Aoigaoka, Yoro, Kirifuri and this one, Kiyotaki, have signatures which begin with the ‘I’ of ‘Iitsu’ written in formal kaisho script, while the signature on the remaining four works utilize shoso script. In Hokusai: Beyond The Great Wave, Asano Shugo theorizes that the ‘kaisho’ group were published around the New Year of 1833, slightly earlier than ‘sosho’ group.
Some of the compositions in the waterfal series appear to be based on Hokusai’s personal observations, while others were likely adapted from illustrated gazetters known as meisho zue (lit. ‘popular views’). In the late 17th century stone images of three dieties, Amida Buddha, Eleven-Headed Kannon, and Enmei Jizo were all enshrined in a cave located beside the falls, which became a destination for pilgrims seeking its miraculous powers. Hokusai’s depiction of this location, the Kiyotaki Kannon waterfall, is faithful to the topography of the sacred site with its narrow stream falling down the cliff face.
Exhibited: Near and Far: Landscapes by Japanese Artists, The Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture, Hanford, California, January 6 – April 20, 2013
References:
Matthi Forrer, Hokusai: Prints and Drawings, 1991, no. 44
Gian Carlo Calza, Hokusai: Il vecchio pazzo per la pittura, 1999, p. 342, no. V.48.2
Gian Carlo Calza, Hokusai, 2003, p. 378, no. VI.12.3 (similar to this example)
Timothy Clark, ed., Hokusai: Byond the Great Wave, 2017, p. 142 (Asano Shugo re: series)
Rossella Menegazzo, ed., Hokusai: The Master’s Legacy, 2017, p. 66, no. 1.3
Seiji Nagata, Hokusai Updated, 2019, p. 247, no. 429
Sarah E. Thompson, Hokusai’s Landscapes: The Complete Series, 2019. pp. 94-95, no. 51 (MFA, Boston, 21.6684)
Andreas Marks, Hokusai, 2024, p. 547 (MET, JP2926)
The British Museum, Morrison Collection, no. 1906,1220,0.554; and 1937,0710,0.194
Honolulu Museum of Art, Michener Collection, object no. 19473 Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession nos. JP1083 (similar to this example); JP2926; and JP1428
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Bigelow Collection, no. 11.25223; and Spaulding Collection, no. 21.6684 (both with similar coloration to this example)
The Hundred Poems [By the Hundred Poets] as Told by the Nurse: Empress Jito
(Hyakunin isshu uba ga etoki: Jito Tenno)
signed Saki no Hokusai Manji, with censor’s seal kiwame (approved), and publisher’s seal Eijudo (Eijudo Hibino of Nishimuraya Yohachi), ca. 1835-36
oban yoko-e 10 1/4 by 14 7/8 in., 25.9 by 37.7 cm
This is the second design from Hokusai’s uncompleted series, The Hundred Poems as Told by the Nurse, which was the last major single sheet series Hokusai designed before he devoted his remaining years primarily to painting commissions. Of the intended series of one hundred, only twenty-seven prints are known to have been completed; an additional sixty-four designs survive in the form of preparatory drawings. The preparatory drawing for this design is
The publisher Nishimuraya Yohachi I (b. ca. 1720) originally commissioned and began publishing the series, but for unknown reasons, his shop, Eijudo, ceased to exist by late 1835. After issuing only five prints with the Eijudo seal in the spring of 1835, the series was then taken over by the publisher Ise Sanjiro’s firm, Iseri. The remaining twenty-two published prints bear a different seal which also can be read Eijudo, an intriguing nod to the apparently defunct (or perhaps acquired) Eijudo firm.
Hokusai based the series on the well-known anthology of poems, the Hyakunin Isshu (A Hundred Poems by a Hundred Poets), compiled by the poet Fujiwara no Teika in 1235. The collected verse were (and continue to be) familiar to most Japanese in some format, including a shell matching games (similar to the Western game known as ‘concentration’), where the challenge was to match the poet painted on the interior of one shell to their verse painted on another. Hokusai approaches the poems from the perspective of an uneducated wet-nurse, allowing for seemingly simple minded mistakes or misinterpretations which add a lighthearted quality to his renditions.
This print features a poem in the cartouche by the Empress Jito Tenno (645-703), the daughter of the Emperor Tenji Tenno (626-672, the author of the poem utilized in the first print from the series). Empress Jito was the third female empress of Japan who reigned from 686 until 697.
Haru sugite
Natsu kinekerashi
Shirotae no
Koromo hosu cho
Ama-no-kaguyama
Spring, it seems, has passed
And the summer come again
For the silk-white robes
So ’tis said, are spread to dry
On the “Mount of Heaven’s Perfume”
The Mount of Heaven refers to a hill near Nara which was thought to be in the shape of a perfume bottle. Traditionally, locals would wash their clothes in early spring and spread them on the slopes to dry. Hokusai’s composition illustrates the villagers carrying bundles of clothing to be washed in the flowing river, while two villagers head towards the hill to the left with freshly washed ‘pure white’ garments hanging from a pole suspended between them. Peter Morse’s interpretation of Hokusai’s visual pun is found in the distance where tall racks are apparently drying flax fibers, a step in linen production after soaking raw flax in water in order to rot away the woody stalk exterior. In the last line of the poem, the word ama can be read as heaven or flax, and kagu is any sort of aroma; hence Ama-no-kaguyama could either be read as ‘Mount of Heaven’s Perfume,’ or, ‘the stench of flax.’
Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido: Station 29, Hamamatsu, Winter Scene
(Tokaido Gojusan Tsuji no Uchi: Hamamatsu, fuyugare no zu)
signed Hiroshige ga with publisher’s seal Hoeido (Takenouchi Magohachi), and censor’s seal kiwame (approved) on the left-hand margin, flower shaped collector’s seal Naka on verso, ca. 1832-33
Sixty-Nine Stations of the Kisokaido: No. 32, Seba
(Kisokaido rokujukyu tsugi no uchi: Sanjuni, Seba)
signed Hiroshige ga, with red artist’s seal Ichiryusai, titled at the upper left, Sanjuni (no. 32), Kisokaido rokujukyu tsugi no uchi, Seba, followed by the publisher’s seal Kinjudo (Iseya Rihei), ca. 1836-37
oban yoko-e 9 3/8 by 14 1/4 in., 23.8 by 36.2 cm
Following the success of Hiroshige’s series, Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido (Tokaido gojusan tsugi no uchi), illustrating the eastern coastal road between the capitals of Edo and Kyoto, the publisher Takenouchi Magohachi of the Hoeido firm announced in 1834 and again in 1835 the upcoming publication of a new print series designed by Hiroshige illustrating views along the Kisokaido, the inland route between the two cities that passed over the mountains. However, for unknown reasons another artist, Keisai Eisen (1790-1848), launched the series in 1835, producing 24 designs, 11 of which correspond to the first 11 stops on the Kisokaido, and an additional 13 designs of random locations along the route (two of which are unsigned but attributed to Eisen). Takenouchi’s early advertisements of the series did not promise all 69 stations but only of views along the route, and the titles on Eisen’s compositions are equally vague. This circumspect approach by Takenouchi is reasonable, as committing to a full size (oban) series of over 69 prints was an unprecendented financial commitment to say the least. By the end of the following year in 1836, Eisen stopped producing designs for the series and Takenouchi also stepped away from the project (possibly retiring from the print business). The publisher Iseya Rihei of the well-established firm Kinjudo resumed production by purchasing the Eisen blocks and recruiting Hiroshige back to the project. The subsequent designs by Hiroshige featured a new title for the series with an ambitious promise, The Sixty-nine Stations along the Kisokaido, a promise fulfilled by eventually completed 47 designs, bringing the total to 71 prints in the series.
Compared to the Tokaido, which primarily ran along the coast from Edo to Kyoto, the Kisokaido (central mountain route also known as the Nakasendo), was roughly 24 miles longer, and considerably more difficult with nine steep mountain passes. That said, traveling on the Kisokaido was approximately one third as expensive as on the Tokaido, and with stamina and good fortune with the changeable mountain weather, a traveler was additionally rewarded with stunning scenic beauty. Nevertheless, the faster and more direct coastal road remained the highway of choice for most. Among the daimyo (feudal lords), who were obligated to maintain residences at home and the capital, 146 regularly utilized the Tokaido, compared to 30 opting for the Kisokaido. The Tokaido was also popular with travelers due to the frequent opportunities to glimpse the sacred Mount Fuji along the way, or for those on a pilgrimage to the Ise Grand Shrine which was located near Yokkaichi on the route.
As such, it is not surprising that even with all of the beautiful views on the inland route, the Sixty-Nine Stations of the Kisokaido is a rare subject, presumably because it was literally, the road less traveled. Hiroshige himself did eventually travel the Kisokaido in 1837, after he had already produced 22 designs for the series, including this image of station number 32, Seba. Considered one of Hiroshige’s very best landscapes, one is hard-pressed to find new ways to describe the lyrical beauty of the composition. Two boatmen are poling on a windswept river in the fading light as the moon sits low on the horizon. The branches of willow trees and reeds along the river’s edge bend in unison as the river sweeps diagonally across the composition. The twilight sky is streaked with bands of clouds and alternating layers of blue, grey and pink below the descending darkness from above. Unlike other iconic Hiroshige prints such as Kambara and Shono from the Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido, or Ohashi Bridge from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, impressions of Seba are rare to the market. The positioning of the station name touching the clearly printed red seal, well-defined parallel lines in the sky and blue bokashi (gradation of color) throughout the water, and the boatmen’s jackets in blue are all indicators of an early impression.
In nearly every publication on Hiroshige, or Japanese landscape prints, or even Japanese prints in general, Seba makes an appearance as an exemplary representation of the artist’s work. As Tamba (translated by C.H. Mitchell) succinctly notes, “This is generally acknowledged as one of the masterpieces of the Kisokaido series.” The following year, Narazaki (also translated by Mitchell), waxes eloquently on the beautiful composition, concluding, “Hiroshige’s philosophy, which maintained that there is a feeling in nature itself, is perhaps most clearly stated in some of his prints from the Kisokaido series. A few of these designs are among his finest work. This print of Seba is an almost perfect statement of his artistic philosophy.” Richard Lane likewise commented, “Seba, is a model of classical perfection.”
Thirty-Six Views of Mt. Fuji: no. 10, Twilight Hill at Meguro in the Eastern Capital
(Fuji Sanjurokkei: Toto Meguro Yuhigaoka)
signed Hiroshige ga with publisher’s seal of Koeido (Tsutaya Kichizo) and dates seal of Uma-yon (year of the horse, fourth month), ca. 1858
oban tate-e 13 7/8 by 9 1/2 in., 35.3 by 24 cm
A very good impression with very good color, full margins, small binding holes along left edge.
A view from a hill through autumnal maples towards a river and a small village in a valley. In the distance, a row of blue-grey hills and the white peak of Mt. Fuji beyond.
References:
Goto Kenichiro, Kubo Tsunehiko and Sons Collection, Second Term: Ukiyo-e Hanga Edo-e Hen, 2009, p. 133, no.
Art Institute Chicago, Clarence Buckingham Collection, reference no.
The British Museum, Ernest Abraham Hart Collection, registration no.
Chazen Museum of Art, John H. Van Vleck Collection, accession no.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (mfa.org), from the Bigelow Collection, accession no.
One Hundred Famous Views of Edo: Kumano Junisha Shrine, Popularly Known as Juniso
(Meisho Edo hyakkei: Tsunohazu Kumano Junisha zokusho Juniso)
signed Hiroshige hitsu, with publisher’s seal on lower left margin, Shitaya shinkuro Uo-Ei (Uoya Eikichi), censor’s seal aratame (examined), and date seal Ryu-shichi (year of the dragon [1856], 7th lunar month)
oban tate-e 14 5/8 by 10 1/8 in., 37.3 by 25.6 cm
References:
Henry D. Smith II, One Hundred Famous Views of Edo: Illustrations by Hiroshige, George Braziller & Brooklyn Museum of Art, 1986, no. 50 HIROSHIGE: A James A. Michener Collection, Honolulu Academy of Arts, 1991, p.104, no. IV-32-E
Yamaguchi Keizaburo, Meihin Soroimono Ukiyo-e, Vol. X: Hiroshige I, 1991, no. 95
Mikhail USPENSKY, One Hundred Views of Edo by Ando Hiroshige, 1997, p. 120, no. 50
Melanie Trede and Lorenz Bichler, Hiroshige: One Hundred Views of Edo, 2007, p. 150, no. 50
Goto Kenichiro, Kubo Tsunehiko and Sons Collection, Second Term: Ukiyo-e Hanga Edo-e Hen, 2009, p. 126, no. 97-64
Samuel C. Morse, Reinventing Tokyo: Japan’s Largest City in the Artistic Imagination, Mead Art Museum & Anherst College, 2012, p. 67, no. 7
Ichikawa Shinya, The Hara Yasusaburo Collection: HIROSHIGE VIVID Exhibition Catalogue, 2016, p. 285, no. II-102
Art Institute of Chicago, accession nos. 1939.1414, and 1939.1470 The British Museum, registration no. 1906,1220,0.684
Chazen Museum of Art, John H. Van Vleck Collection, accession no. 1980.1644
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (mfa.org), accession nos. 11.16680, 11.35820, 11.36876.35, 11.45637, 21.9475
One Hundred Famous Views of Edo: Fukagawa Susaki and Jumantsubo
(Meisho Edo hyakkei: Fukagawa Susaki jumantsubo)
printed with mica on the feathers; titled at the upper right, Meisho Edo hyakkei: Fukagawa Susaki jumantsubo, signed Hiroshige ga, with censor’s seals, aratame (examined), and date seal, mi uru go (the year of the snake [1857] intercalary 5th month), followed by the publisher’s seal, Shitaya Shinkuro, Uoei (Sakanaya Eikichi), 1857
oban tate-e 14 by 9 3/4 in., 35.7 by 24.7 cm
This is a view from Fukagawa Susaki, the very well known peninsula along Edo Bay with the popular Benten Shrine at the very tip. The land offered excellent shellfish-gathering at low tide in the spring. The view faces northeast towards Jumantsubo, a tract of land named after its approximate size of one hundred thousand tsubo (about eight acres).
References:
Tsuneo Tamba, The Art of Hiroshige (Hiroshige Ichidai), 1965, p. 118, no. 274
Sadao Kikuchi, A Treasury of Japanese Woodblock Prints, 1969, no. 1296
Howard Link, Hiroshige: The James A. Michener Collection, Honolulu Academy of Arts, 1991, p. 109, no. IV-32-O; museum no. HAA 14,516
Henry D. Smith II, One Hundred Famous Views of Edo: Illustrations by Hiroshige, Brooklyn Museum of Art, 1986, no. 107, no 301.1478.107
The British Museum, Bergen Collection, no. 1948,0410,0.84 (similar impression); Morrison Collection, 1906,1220,0.727 (later impression)
Chazen Museum of Art, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Van Vleck Collection, no. 1984.867 (similar impression); Van Vleck Collection, no. 1980.1690 (later impression)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Spaulding Collection, no. 21.9507; Rubel Collection, no. 46.1402 (similar impressions)
Metropolitan Museum of Art, Mansfield Collection, JP2520
Tokyo National Museum, Vever Collection, no. A-10569_7398
Landscape Escapes: Famous Views of the Floating World
March 13 – 21, 2025 Asia Week Hours: 11am-5pm (Appointments Appreciated)
We are excited to announce our new exhibition, opening Thursday March 13, as part of Asia Week New York!
Landscape Escapes includes numerous works by the 19th century masters of the landscape genre, including Katsushika Hokusai, and Utagawa Hiroshige, as well as rare contributions by artists who are not as closely associated with the subject such as Keisai Eisen, and Yashima Gakutei. The show will also explore some of the earliest forms of landscape prints by artists of the Katsukawa School, including Katsukawa Shunsho, and his followers, Katsukawa Shunsen (Shunko II) and Katsukawa Shuntei.
Creative Connections: Sosaku-Hanga Artists & New York
December 5, 2024 – February 14, 2025
We are pleased to present for our Winter 2024–2025 gallery exhibition a collection of woodblock prints by a group of preeminent Japanese sosaku-hanga artists. The show includes self-carved and self-printed works by Shiko Munakata (1903–1975), Jun’ichiro Sekino (1914–1988), Kiyoshi Saito (1907–1997), Toshi Yoshida (1911–1995), and his younger brother, Hodaka Yoshida (1924–2017), along with Hodaka’s wife, Chizuko Yoshida (1924–2017), as well as another set of spouses, Ansei Uchima (1921–2000) and his wife, Toshiko Uchima (1918–2000). The unifying theme of this exhibition is the vital role of each of these artists in “bringing” sosaku hanga to the United States and, in particular, New York. Exposing this uniquely Japanese art form to wider audiences, some created important works during their time in New York, others demonstrated and provided instructions on their techniques and approaches to art in American educational institutions. All selected artists participated in significant exhibitions of their work in New York and elsewhere in the States.
The sosaku hanga movement came to the forefront of Japan’s artistic world in the 1950s, with some of its leading practitioners, including Munakata and Saito, winning widespread recognition through prestigious international awards and with enthusiastic American collectors such as Oliver Statler (1915–2002) and James A. Michener (1907–1997) spreading awareness and appreciation to an ever-growing audience. It was an exciting time for the artists of this movement, who were part of a close community centered in Tokyo, frequently socializing, exchanging ideas, inspiring and educating one another, as well as interacting with artists working in other media, who were enjoying their own creative explorations in other vibrant movements of the time.
We are constantly updating our inventory with new prints. To browse for works by artist, or search by title, series or keyword, visit our Recent Additions here.
ONLINE EXHIBITIONS
TREASURED VIEWS:
The Stipanich Collection of Kawase Hasui Woodblock Prints
We are pleased to be exhibiting Treasured Views: The Stipanich Collection of Kawase Hasui Woodblock Prints, a choice group of landscape prints by the 20th century shin-hanga master. The collection was assembled by Neil and Nancy Stipanich, who as a young married couple in the mid-1970s lived in Jakarta, Indonesia, and traveled extensively in Asia during their time abroad. In 1976 they spent 3 weeks in Japan- even climbing Mount Fuji to see the sunrise. The 1976 adventure sparked a love of Japanese art that continued throughout their lives together. These landscape woodblock prints by Kawase Hasui were a particular passion of Neil’s, and after his sudden passing, his family have decided to release them into the world for new collectors to treasure.
COLLECTING THE MASTER:
The Binnie Collection of Hiroshi Yoshida Paintings
This presentation is the culmination of decades-long pursuit of assembling a comprehensive representation of paintings by the great 20th century Japanese artist, Hiroshi Yoshida (1876-1950), collected by the prominent woodblock print artist, Paul Binnie (b. 1967). Binnie began to build a collection of Yoshida woodblock prints and original paintings and drawings around 1989, when he purchased his first landscape print by the earlier master. Over time, Binnie was able to assemble almost every woodblock print that Yoshida made, numbering over 250 designs. An academically trained painter himself, Binnie was keen to collect oil paintings, scroll paintings, watercolors and drawings, often with a connection to woodblock prints, as his fascination was with Yoshida as both painter and printmaker. In addition to the scrolls and fan paintings, The Binnie Collection of Hiroshi Yoshida Paintings offers two drawings, four watercolors and eight oil paintings, including the original canvases for three of Yoshida’s woodblock prints, Breithorn, Ghats at Benares and New York.
Paul Binnie: 30 Prints for 30 Years of Printmaking
In 1993, Paul Binnie (b. 1967) moved from Paris to Tokyo in order to pursue training as a woodblock carver and printer, embarking on an artistic career that established him as one of the most important artists working in the Japanese tradition of woodblock printmaking. Now, thirty years hence, Binnie is still going strong. This month he released the tenth design in his series, Flowers of A Hundred Years (Bubble Era [of 1990]), as well as a limited edition set of three woodblock printed illustrations commissioned for a deluxe edition the science fiction classic novel, The Moon Moth. In recognition and celebration of Paul Binnie’s 30 years as a printmaker, Scholten Japanese Art has assembled a very special online exhibition of some of the artist’s most rare and sought-after works including such rarities as his 1994 Nocturne, the 2005 Butterfly Bow, and the 2006 Phoenix Dream, all of which have long proven (nearly) impossible to acquire by his most ardent collectors.
To view these works and others in the exhibition, click here.
About the Gallery
Scholten Japanese Art is a private gallery specializing in Japanese woodblock prints and paintings. We offer ukiyo-e from the 18th to 20th centuries, including shin hanga, sosaku hanga, and Japanese-style woodblock prints produced by Western artists. Located in a spacious suite in the old Meurice Hotel, just steps from Central Park South, we enjoy meeting with visitors one on one in order to best learn about your interests and share the collection with you.
We opened its doors September 2000 in a renovated townhouse on New York’s Upper East Side. In May of 2003, Scholten moved to a private suite in the old Meurice Hotel located on 58th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues. We initially planned to stay in midtown temporarily, however, we were pleasantly surprised to find the central location in the heart of Manhattan offers advantages in accessibility for both local collectors (who frequently have business in the area) and proximity to numerous hotels for out-of-town visitors. In 2009 we decided to expand to a larger space in the same building which was renovated to provide more exhibition space as well as a separate ‘Print Room’ devoted to our library and large inventory of woodblock prints. We organize at least two public exhibitions every year during Asia Week (both March and September), but we always have a selection of prints and paintings on view throughout the year.
