Souvenirs of Travel, Third Series: Tennoji Temple in Osaka
(Tabi miyage dai sanshu: Osaka Tennoji)
Signed Hasui with artist’s seal Kawase, the title on the left margin, Osaka Tennoji, dated below, Showa ninen saku (made Showa 2 [1927]), with publisher’s seal (Hotei ‘C,’ ca. 1927-32) on the lower right margin, Hanmoto Watanabe hangaten (Publisher Watanabe Print Shop), 1927
Oban tate-e 15 1/4 by 10 1/4 in., 38.6 by 25.9 cm
In 1924 Hasui began issuing designs for his third ‘Souvenirs of Travel’ (Tabi Miyage) series, which eventually comprised twenty-nine prints and concluded in 1929. The accomplished composition depicts a contemplative rendering of the Shitenno-ji (Temple of the Four Heavenly Kings), a Buddhist temple founded in 593 AD by the regent Prince Shotoku Taishi (574-622 AD). Located in the oldest area of Osaka, it has been regarded as possibly the first Buddhist temple officially administered in Japan.
PROVENANCE:
Neil Charles Stipanich (Alamo, California, 1948-2019)
REFERENCES:
Dorothy Blair, Modern Japanese Prints, The Toledo Museum of Art, 1930, no. 93
Narazaki Muneshige, Kawase Hasui mokuhanga shu, 1979, p. 54, no. 139
Irwin J. Pachter, Kawase Hasui and His Contemporaries, 1986, p. 57, no. 46
Kendall H. Brown, & Hollis Goodall-Cristante, Shin-Hanga: New Prints in Modern Japan, 1996, p. 77, fig. 102, cat. 82
Kendall H. Brown, Kawase Hasui: The Complete Woodblock Prints, 2003, p. 349, no. 135
Amy Reigle Newland, gen. ed., Printed to Perfection: Twentieth-Century Japanese Prints from the Robert O. Muller Collection, 2004, p. 79, no. 61
Shimada City Museum, Kawase Hasui, The Landscape Woodblock Prints of the Taisho and Showa Periods, 2005, p. 58, no. 87
Kendall H. Brown, Visions of Japan: Kawase Hasui’s Masterpieces, 2008, p. 59, no. 23
Abe Publishing, Kawase Hasui Woodblock Prints, 2009, p. 50, no. 69
Chiba City Museum of Art, Kawase Hasui, NHK Service Center, 2013, p. 84. no. 78
Carolyn M. Putney, et. al., Fresh Impressions: Early Modern Japanese Prints, Toledo Museum of Art, 2013, p. 149, no. 97
Hisao Shimizu, Kawase Hasui, Folk Museum of Ota City, 2013, p. 48, no. 72 (illustrated with artist’s sketchbook drawing)
Chris Uhlenbeck, Shin hanga: The New Prints of Japan 1900-1960, Ludion, 2022, p.182, cat. no. 16
The Art Institute of Chicago, Clarence Buckingham Collection, reference no. 1929.412
Honolulu Museum of Art, Michener Collection, object no. 19214 (same seal)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, accession no. 49.122
Souvenirs of Travel, Third Series: Snow at Miyajima (Tabi miyage dai sanshu: Yuki no Miyajima)
Signed Hasui with artist’s seal Kawase, the print title on the left margin Yuki no Miyajima, followed by the date, Showa sannen saku (made in Showa 3 [1928]), with publisher’s seal (Hotei ‘E’, ca. 1931-42) on the right margin, Hanken shoyu fukyo mosho Watanabe Shozaburo (Copyright ownership reproduction not allowed without permission, Watanabe Shozaburo), 1928
Oban tate-e 15 1/4 by 10 5/8 in., 38.8 by 27 cm
In the years following the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, the publisher Watanabe Shozaburo (1885-1962) managed to not just relocate and rebuild, but his business grew and thrived as the shin-hanga market expanded with a majority of the prints being exported. By the mid to late 1920s, shin-hanga as a distinct genre had fully crystallized, and Watanabe remained at the forefront, encouraging the highest standard of production possible. For landscape collectors, prints depicting scenic views, such as this one, hit all the marks for his (mostly) foreign clientele: a quintessential Japanese subject, in the snow, deftly composed with harmonious coloration. In the years following the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, the publisher Watanabe Shozaburo (1885-1962) managed to not just relocate and rebuild, but his business grew and thrived as the shin-hanga market expanded with a majority of the prints being exported. By the mid to late 1920s, shin-hanga as a distinct genre had fully crystallized, and Watanabe remained at the forefront, encouraging the highest standard of production possible. For landscape collectors, prints depicting scenic views, such as this one, hit all the marks for his (mostly) foreign clientele: a quintessential Japanese subject, in the snow, deftly composed with harmonious coloration.
The subject is the great torii gate at the Itsukushima Shrine at Miyajima in Hiroshima prefecture, which appears to float in the water at high tide. In the 1979 catlaogue raisonné Narazaki appreciated the subtle details, noting the “inns and mountains on the opposite bank blurred by the heavy snow. The sea is calm and shallow, the waves are broken by the oar of the rowboat.” (translation in Brown, 2003).
PROVENANCE:
Neil Charles Stipanich (Alamo, California, 1948-2019)
REFERENCES:
Dorothy Blair, Modern Japanese Prints, The Toledo Museum of Art, 1930, no. 99
Narazaki Muneshige, Kawase Hasui mokuhanga shu, 1979, p. 54 no. 142
Kendall H. Brown, Kawase Hasui: The Complete Woodblock Prints, 2003, p. 351, no. 139
Shimada City Museum, Kawase Hasui, The Landscape Woodblock Prints of the Taisho and Showa Periods, 2005, p. 59, no. 88
Hisao Shimizu, Hasui Kawase, Folk Museum of Ota City, 2007, p. 33, no. 36
Kendall H. Brown, Visions of Japan: Kawase Hasui’s Masterpieces, 2008, p. 24, no. 60 Kawase Hasui Woodblock Prints, Abe Publishing, 2009, p. 49, no. 68
Hisao Shimizu, Kawase Hasui, Folk Museum of Ota City, 2013, p. 49, no. 84 (illustrated with artist’s sketchbook drawing)
Carolyn M. Putney, et. al., Fresh Impressions: Early Modern Japanese Prints, Toledo Museum of Art, 2013, p. 153, no. 103
The Art Institute of Chicago, Oliver Statler Collection, reference no. 1961.1073
Honolulu Museum of Art, James A. Michener Collection, object no. 19228
Signed Hasui with artist’s seal Kawase, the title on the left margin, Shiba Zojoji, followed by the date, Taisho juyonen saku (made in Taisho 14 [1925]), the publisher’s seal (Hotei D, see comments below) on the lower right margin, Hanken shoyu Watanabe Shozaburo (Copyright ownership Watanabe Shozaburo), and diamond-shaped paper label on on verso with Watanabe circular family seal with shop name and address in Japanese, Watanabe Hangaten (Watanabe Print Shop), Tokyo-shi Kyobashi-ku Ginza nishi hachi-no-kyu; and in English, S. WATANABE, 9 NISHI 8-CHOME, GINZA, TOKYO, 1925
oban tate-e 15 3/8 by 10 1/2 in., 39.2 by 26.7 cm
In recent years this print has vaulted from Hasui’s most popular print, to the most famous shin-hanga landscape, and most recently, possibly one of the most recognizable Japanese woodblock prints of all, achieving its status as an icon of the genre in just under a century. This steady climb to fame began at its inception, it was a great success when Watanabe released it in 1925 and subsequently included it as the first print in the Twenty Views of Tokyo series which was completed in 1930.
For this series Watanabe opted to have the series title cartouche, Tokyo Nijukkei, stamped on the print rather than carved into the keyblock, and that seal is often missing, as is the case with this example. Curiously, most impressions of this print (and other prints from this series) were issued without the series title cartouche (even the impressions in the Narazaki Muneshige book and the 2003 catalogue raisonné by Kendall Brown are missing the series title). While it was generally believed that the presence of the series cartouche indicates an early impression, Shimizu suggests (rather convincingly) that the prints were not initially produced as an intended series, but then Watanabe later decided to group them as such, hence the inconsistent presence of the stamped series title (Hisao Shimizu, Kawase Hasui, 2013). According to Narazaki, due to the immediate success of the design, additional batches were ordered, including a final run in 1933, but thereafter Watanabe decided to stop producing it even though the blocks were available and they could have sold many, many more.
In his 1986 book on shin-hanga, Irwin Patcher categorized Watanabe’s rectangular or oblong publisher and copyright seals according to the approximate date range of their use with the letters A-H (estimating the rectangular A seal was introduced in 1924), ending with the round seals I (6mm) and J (7mm). This arrangement was somewhat misleading as Watanabe used a version of the round seal starting with the establishment of his business in 1909 (although rarely on prints before 1915), and the firm continued to used variations of the round seal with occasional changes to the size up until the present time. In 2003, Kendall Brown’s catalogue raisonné from Hotei Publishing addressed this by beginning with the round seal as A and thereby bumping all seals up by one letter- a designation which we have followed at this gallery since its publication. However, because the old lettering system was entrenched in the minds of collectors, we always refer to the ‘Hotei seal’ in our cataloging. Recent exhaustive research by the printmaker Michael Peters on his website mokuhanga1.com reverts to the original letter designations and labels the round seal number 1, while adjusting some of the circa dates and introducing additional insight on a variety of nuances including the diamond-shaped paper labels sometimes found on the back of prints. For example: the publisher seal on the front of this print (Hotei D) is commonly known as the ‘sausage seal’- due to the tassel-shaped flourishes at the top and bottom on the cartouche. While Pachter indicated circa use dates between 1929 and 1942, Peters identifies two versions of the same seal, C1 (ca. January 1931-March 1933) and C2 (ca. July 1932-1942), of which this is the earlier version.
PROVENANCE:
Neil Charles Stipanich (Alamo, California, 1948-2019)
REFERENCES:
Dorothy Blair, Modern Japanese Prints, The Toledo Museum of Art, 1930, no. 81
Kato, Junzo, comp., Kindai Nihon hanga taikei, 1975-76, Vol. III, pl. 14
Narazaki Muneshige, Kawase Hasui mokuhanga shu, 1979, p. 56, no. 147
Irwin J. Pachter, Kawase Hasui and His Contemporaries, 1986, p. 55, no. 42 (‘edition 1925’); no. 43 (‘edition 1933’)
Kendall H. Brown, Kawase Hasui: The Complete Woodblock Prints, 2003, p. 356, no. 147
Kendall H. Brown, Visions of Japan: Kawase Hasui’s Masterpieces, 2004, p. 55, no. 19 (also cover)
Amy Reigle Newland, gen. ed., Printed to Perfection: Twentieth-Century Japanese Prints from the Robert O. Muller Collection, 2004, p. 13, fig. 5
Shimada City Museum, Kawase Hasui, The landscape woodblock prints of the Taisho and Showa periods, 2005, p. 60, no. 91
Folk Museum of Ota City, Hasui Kawase, 2007, p. 31, no. 17
Abe Publishing, Kawase Hasui Woodblock Prints, 2009, p. 68, no. 94
Chiba City Museum of Art, Kawase Hasui, 2013, p. 87, no. 81
Folk Museum of Ota City, Hasui Kawase, 2013, p. 58-59, nos. 56 and 57
Carolyn M. Putney, Fresh Impressions: Early Modern Japanese Prints, Toledo Museum of Art, 2013, pp. 140-141, cat. no. 85
Kendall Brown, Water and Shadow: Kawase Hasui and Japanese Landscape Prints, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 2014, p. 41, no. III.9
Chris Uhlenbeck, Amy Reigle Newland and Maureen de Vries, Waves of Renewal: Modern Japanese Prints, 1900-1960, Selection from the Nihon no hanga Collection, 2016, p. 34, fig. 3
Ukiyo-e Modern, Machida City Museum of Graphic Arts, 2018, p. 88, no.137
Chris Uhlenbeck, Shin hanga: The New Prints of Japan 1900-1960, Ludion, 2022, p. 184, no. 166
Michael Peters, mokuhanga1.com, States of Hasui’s Zojoji Temple in Shiba, 2023 (for detailed analysis of progression of printings); and How to date Watanabe Publisher seals, 2024
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, accession no. 35.1890 (round publisher seal; purchased from Mrs. Wilmot R. Evans, Boston, Dec. 5, 1935)
Chazen Museum of Art, John H. Van Vleck Collection, accession no. 1980.749 (round publisher seal)
The Art Institute of Chicago, Oliver Statler Collection, reference no. 1961.1026a; and reference no. 1990.607.469
Signed Hasui with artist’s seal Kawase, the print title at the center of the bottom margin, (Ueno Toshogu), dated to the right, Showa yonnen nanagatsu saku (made in Showa 4 [1929], July), with publisher’s seal at left, Sakai Kawaguchi gohan (Sakai Kawaguchi joint publication) with their chrysanthemum and water seal, the carver and printer seals on the lower left margin, horiko Maeda, suriko Komatsu (carver Maeda [Kentaro], printer Komatsu [Wasakichi]), with paper limited edition seal hand-numbered and signed on verso, Shohan seien, hyaku mai no uchi dai kyujuichi go (exclusively selected out of an edition of a hundred, number 91), Hasui, with artist’s red seal Kawase, July 1929
Chutanzaku tate-e 15 1/2 by 8 1/2 in., 39.4 by 21.7 cm
In 1929, the publishers Sakai and Kawaguchi began producing high-quality woodblock prints designed by the leading shin hanga artists, including Hasui for landscapes, Torii Kotondo for beauties, and Ohara Koson for bird and flower subjects. In 1931, the publishing partnership was dissolved, with Kawaguchi retaining the blocks and the skills of the printer Komatsu Wasakichi, who produced later limited editions. The earliest impressions from the first edition of 100, are sealed by the carver Maeda Kentaro.
The Tosho Shrine in Ueno was dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616), the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate of the peaceful Edo Period (1603-1868). The shrine and the pagoda seen in the background remain standing today, having survived both the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake as well as the wartime bombing of Tokyo.
PROVENANCE:
Neil Charles Stipanich (Alamo, California, 1948-2019)
REFERENCES:
Narazaki Muneshige, Kawase Hasui mokuhanga shu, 1979, p. 208, KS-3
Kendall H. Brown, Kawase Hasui: The Complete Woodblock Prints, 2003, p. 375, no. 183
Kendall H. Brown, Visions of Japan: Kawase Hasui’s Masterpieces, 2004, p. 63, no. 27
Hisao Shimizu, Kawase Hasui, Folk Museum of Ota City, 2013, p. 84, no. 104 (illustrated with artist’s sketchbook drawing)
Chris Uhlenbeck, Shin hanga: The New Prints of Japan 1900-1960, Ludion, 2022, p. 188, cat. no. 172
Minneapolis Institute of Art, accession no. P.77.28.11
Souvenirs of Travel, Third Series: Kozu, Osaka (Tabi miyage dai sanshu: Osaka Kozu)
Signed Hasui with red artist’s seal Kawase, the title on the left margin, Osaka Kozu, followed by the date, Taisho jusannen saku (made in Taisho 13 [1924]), with publisher’s seal (Hotei ‘D,’ ca. 1929-42) on lower right margin, Hanken shoyu Watanabe Shozaburo (Copyright ownership Watanabe Shozaburo), 1924
Oban tate-e
PROVENANCE:
Neil Charles Stipanich (Alamo, California, 1948-2019)
REFERENCES:
Dorothy Blair, Modern Japanese Prints, The Toledo Museum of Art, 1930, no. 77
Narazaki Muneshige, Kawase Hasui mokuhanga shu, 1979, p. 48, no. 118
Irwin J. Pachter, Kawase Hasui and His Contemporaries, 1986, p. 50, no. 32
Kendall H. Brown, Kawase Hasui: The Complete Woodblock Prints, 2003, p. 339, no. 118
Kendall H. Brown, Visions of Japan: Kawase Hasui’s Masterpieces, 2004, p. 51, no. 15
Shimada City Museum, Kawase Hasui, The Landscape Woodblock Prints of the Taisho and Showa Periods, 2005, p. 55, no. 81
Carolyn M. Putney, et. al., Fresh Impressions: Early Modern Japanese Prints, Toledo Museum of Art, 2013, p. 136, no. 81
Hisao Shimizu, Hasui Kawase, Folk Museum of Ota City, 2013, p. 40, no. 36 (illustrated with artist’s sketchbook drawing)
The Art Institute of Chicago, Clarence Buckingham Collection, reference no. 1929.399
Honolulu Museum of Art, object no. 11788
Souvenirs of Travel, Third Series: Morning at Beppu (Tabi miyage dai sanshu: Beppu no asa)
Signed Hasui with artist’s seal Kawase, the title on the left margin, Beppu no asa, the date below, Showa sannen saku (made in Showa 3 [1928]), with publisher’s seal (Hotei ‘E,’ ca. 1931-41) on the right margin, Hanken shoyu fukyo mosha Watanabe Shozaburo (Copyright ownership, reproduction not allowed without permission, Watanabe Shozaburo), 1928
Oban tate-e 15 1/4 by 10 3/8 in., 38.6 by 26.2 cm
PROVENANCE:
Neil Charles Stipanich (Alamo, California, 1948-2019)
REFERENCES:
Dorothy Blair, Modern Japanese Prints, The Toledo Museum of Art, 1930, no. 102
Narazaki Muneshige, Kawase Hasui mokuhanga shu, 1979, p. 55 no. 145
Kendall H. Brown, Kawase Hasui: The Complete Woodblock Prints, 2003, p. 353, no. 142
Shimada City Museum, Kawase Hasui, The landscape woodblock prints of the Taisho and Showa periods, 2005, p. 59, no. 89
Abe Publishing, Kawase Hasui Woodblock Prints, 2009, p. 48, no. 65
Chiba City Museum of Art, Kawase Hasui, 2013, p. 85, no. 79 (with thumbnail of original pencil sketch)
Carolyn M. Putney, et. al., Fresh Impressions: Early Modern Japanese Prints, Toledo Museum of Art, 2013, p. 154, no. 106
Hisao Shimizu, Kawase Hasui, Folk Museum of Ota City, 2013, p. 50, no. 86 (illustrated with pencil and watercolor drawing from artist’s sketchbook)
The Art Institute of Chicago, reference no. 1990.607.784
Honolulu Museum of Art, James A. Michener Collection, object nos. 19200 & 19201
Signed Hasui with artist’s seal Kawase, with publisher’s seal (Hotei ‘D’, ca. 1929-42) on lower right margin, Hanken shoyu Watabanbe Shozaburo (Copyright ownership Watanabe Shozaburo), the title on the left margin, Ikegami Honmon-ji, followed by the date Showa rokunen ichigatsu saku (made in Showa 6 [1931], January), 1931
Oban tate-e 15 3/8 by 10 3/8 in., 38.9 by 26.2 cm
Blair records that this print required 20 color blocks, 25 impressions or pulls from the blocks (“superimposed printings”), for an initial edition of 300 prints.
PROVENANCE:
Neil Charles Stipanich (Alamo, California, 1948-2019)
REFERENCES:
Dorothy Blair, Modern Japanese Prints, The Toledo Museum of Art, 1936, no. 28
Narazaki Muneshige, Kawase Hasui mokuhanga shu, 1979, p. 107, no. 320
Kendall H. Brown, Kawase Hasui: The Complete Woodblock Prints, 2003, p. 413, no. 245
Kendall H. Brown, Visions of Japan: Kawase Hasui’s Masterpieces, 2004, p. 78, no. 42
Folk Museum of Ota City, Hasui Kawase, 2007, p. 40, no. 67
Hisao Shimizu, Kawase Hasui, Folk Museum of Ota City, 2013, pp. 120-121, no. 151 (illustrated with pencil drawing from artist’s sketchbook)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, John Stewart Happer Collection, accession no. 1949.400
The Art Institute of Chicago, reference no. 1961.216
Snow at the Nezu-Gongen Shrine (Nezu Gongen no yuki)
Signed Hasui with artist’s seal Kawase, the title on the left margin, Nezu-Gongen no yuki, with publisher’s 6mm round seal (Hotei ‘A’) in lower left corner, Watanabe, first issued in 1933, this impression later, ca. 1945-55
Oban tate-e 15 1/4 by 10 3/8 in., 38.6 by 26.4 cm
Blair records that this print required 20 color blocks; 25 “superimposed printings” (pulls or impressions from the blocks), for an initial edition of 100 impressions. This was a comparatively smaller batch than Watanabe’s usual investment of at least 200 or 300 impressions of most designs indicated by Blair. It seems that the early 1930s were a period of transition for Watanabe, in 1931 Watanabe began to produce occasional editions of only 100 impressions, likely governed by the potential popularity of the design; but by 1932, editions of 100 became his more typical initial investment.
PROVENANCE:
Neil Charles Stipanich (Alamo, California, 1948-2019)
REFERENCES:
Dorothy Blair, Modern Japanese Prints, The Toledo Museum of Art, 1936, no. 69
Narazaki Muneshige, Kawase Hasui mokuhanga shu, 1979, p. 115, no. 346
Kendall H. Brown, Kawase Hasui: The Complete Woodblock Prints, 2003, p. 466, no. 345
Spring Snow (Kiyomizu Temple, Kyoto) (Haru no yuki [Kyoto Kiyomizu])
Signed Hasui with artist’s seal Kawase, the title on the right margin, Haru no yuki (Kyoto Kiyomizu), followed by the date, Showa shichinen shigatsu (made in Showa 7 [1932], April), with publisher’s 12 mm round ‘Do’ watermark in upper left corner and early post-war combination of in-line seals (ca. 1948-50), Hanken shoyu Doi Hangaten (Copyright reserved Doi Hangaten), followed by seals, suri (printer) Ito, and hori (carver) Katsumura, 1932
Oban tate-e 15 7/8 by 10 3/4 in., 40.4 by 27.2 cm
Unlike the skilled artisans who produced prints for Watanabe Shozaburo’s publishing house, the carvers and printers working for Doi were credited for their work on with their seals, which were impressed on individual woodblock prints. This print bears the carver seal of Katsumura Shozo, who Merritt notes was “one of the most highly respected carvers of Taisho and prewar Showa times, said to have been able to split one hair into three pieces” (Merritt, p. 39).
PROVENANCE:
Neil Charles Stipanich (Alamo, California, 1948-2019)
REFERENCES:
Narazaki Muneshige, Kawase Hasui mokuhanga shu, 1979, p. 210, no. D-8
Kendall H. Brown, Kawase Hasui: The Complete Woodblock Prints, 2003, p. 429, no. 276
Helen Merritt, Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints: The Early Years, 1990, p. 39 (on Katsumura Shozo)
Hisao Shimizu, Hasui Kawase, Folk Museum of Ota City, 2007, p. 46, no. 90
Hisao Shimizu, Kawase Hasui, Folk Museum of Ota City, 2013, p. 139, no. 184
Chris Uhlenbeck, Amy Reigle Newland and Maureen de Vries, Waves of Renewal: Modern Japanese Prints, 1900-1960, Selection from the Nihon no hanga Collection, 2016, p. 18, fig. 8
Chazen Museum of Art, John H. Van Vleck Collection, accession no. 1980.769
The Art Institute of Chicago, reference no. 1990.607.637
Harvard Art Museums, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, accession no. 1978.265
Honolulu Museum of Art, James A. Michener Collection, object no. 19209
Clearing After a Snowfall at Mount Fuji (Tagonoura Beach) (Fuji no yukibare [Tagonoura])
Signed Hasui with artist’s seal Kawase, the title on the right margin, Fuji no yukibare (Tagonoura), followed by the date, Showa shichinen ichigatsu saku (made in Showa 7 [1932], January), with publisher’s 12 mm round watermark, Do, in upper left corner and early postwar seal combination (ca. 1950-63) on left margin, Hanken Shoyu Doi hangaten (Copyright reserved Doi Hangaten) followed by offset seals of suri (printer) Yokoi and hori (carver) Harada, 1932
Oban tate-e 15 5/8 by 10 1/2 in., 39.8 by 26.8 cm
Although Hasui’s primary publisher was Watanabe Shozaburo (1885-1962), he did occasionally work with other publishing houses. Prints published by Doi Hangaten present their own challenges in dating. According to Merritt & Yamada, the printer credited with this impression, Yokoi, was active in Tokyo in the 1930s, which Mrs. Suzue Doi confirmed in an interview in 2000, indicating Yokoi was the first Doi printer beginning in the 1930s and the principal printer until approximately 1945. However, the printer Seki Kenji has stated that he was Yokoi’s apprentice beginning in 1955 and didn’t succeed him officially until 1965 when he began using his own seal on the prints. Further clouding the dating is the presence of the carver seal of Harada, who is believed to have started with Doi after the war, making it impossible that he carved the blocks for this print dated 1932. Indeed, Mrs. Doi confirmed that when new batches of prints were produced the printer would change the carver/printer seals, regardless of who the original carver may have been. While it is unlikely we will be able to say conclusively when most Doi prints were produced, the publisher’s ‘Do’ watermark and the quality of the paper indicate that this is most likely an early printing from shortly after the war.
PROVENANCE:
Neil Charles Stipanich (Alamo, California, 1948-2019)
REFERENCES:
Narazaki Muneshige, Kawase Hasui mokuhanga shu, 1979, p. 209, no. D-2
Helen Merritt & Nanako Yamada, Guide to Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints: 1900-1975, 1992, p. 224 (on Yokoi)
Kendall H. Brown, Kawase Hasui: The Complete Woodblock Prints, 2003, p. 424, no. 266
Hisao Shimizu, Hasui Kawase, Folk Museum of Ota City, 2007, p. 44, no. 79
Hisao Shimizu, Kawase Hasui, Folk Museum of Ota City, 2013, p. 138, nos. 173 & 174
Andreas Grund, ukiyo-e-gallery.com/doiinterview.htm, March 2000 shinhanga.net/doiseals.htm (on watermarks and seals)
Chazen Museum of Art, John H. Van Vleck Collection, accession no. 1980.766
The Art Institute of Chicago, reference no. 1990.607.450
Signed Hasui with artist’s seal Kawase, with title on the left margin, Omiya Hikawa koen, and dated below, Showa gonen saku (made in Showa 5 [1930]), followed by red collector’s seal, kiwame, in the corner, with publisher’s seal (Hotei ‘C’) on lower right margin, Hanmoto Watanabe Hangaten (Publisher Watanabe Print Shop), 1930
Oban tate-e 15 3/8 by 10 1/2 in., 39 by 26.7 cm
The print is mounted in a period mat bearing a label from Takezo “T.Z.” Shiota (1875-1944), whose namesake gallery was one of the first to offer Asian art in America. The gallery was located at 533 Dupont Street, but following the devastation of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the street was upgraded and renamed Grant Avenue. The mat backing is inscribed in stylish ink identifying the print details: HIRAKAWA PARK IN OMIYA AT SUNDOWN, AN ORIGINAL WOODBLOCK PRINT BY CONTEMPORARY ARTIST, HASUI, with gallery label, T.Z. SHIOTA, 515 GRANT AVENUE, SAN FRANCISCO, with red TZS seal. Shiota was an active and early proponent of the shin-hanga print movement, even commissioning Hasui in 1935 to design a print produced by Watanabe Shozaburo (1885-1962) depicting the Washington Monument to commemorate the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington D.C. (perhaps the only Hasui print illustrating a location we are sure he never visited). The description of Hasui as a contemporary artist and the gallery address on Grant Avenue confirms that the print was handled by Shiota before 1942, when he famously posted a poignant farewell letter in his shop window on March 26th, the day before the Executive Order of 9066 announced the forced expulsions of persons of Japanese descent from the west coast states. Shiota and his family were sent to an internment camp in Postan, Arizona, where he sadly died in 1944 while still incarcerated. After the war, the Shiota family reopened the gallery at a new location at 402 Sutter Street, later moving to 3131 Fillmore Street, and remained in business until approximately 2009.
The red seal in the lower left corner is a larger version of the kiwame (approved) censor seal used by censors in the Edo period from 1791 until 1842, however, it is surely that of a collector and has been seen on other shin-hanga prints. The publisher seal on the right margin was used by Watanabe for a comparatively brief period, estimates vary: Irwin Pachter suggests circa 1927-32; while Michael Peters narrows the dates from 1930 to March 1932.
References:
Dorothy Blair, Modern Japanese Prints, The Toledo Museum of Art, 1936, no. 14
Kato, Junzo, comp., Kindai Nihon hanga taikei, 1975-76, Vol. III, pl. 19
Irwin J. Pachter, Kawase Hasui and his Contemporaries: The Shin Hanga (New Print) Movement in Landscape Art, 1986, p. 36 (circa dates of publisher seals)
Kendall H. Brown, Kawase Hasui: The Complete Woodblock Prints, 2003, p. 391, no. 207
Kendall H. Brown, Visions of Japan: Kawase Hasui’s Masterpieces, 2004, p. 73, no. 37
Hisao Shimizu, Hasui Kawase, Folk Museum of Ota City, 2013, p. 97, no. 126
Michael Peters, mokuhanga1.com, How to date Watanabe Publisher seals, 2024
Chazen Museum of Art, John H. Van Vleck Collection, accession no. 1980.756
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, accession no. 49.698
Souvenirs of Travel, Third Series: Arifuku Hotspings, Iwami (Tabi miyage dai sanshu: Iwami Arifuku Onsen)
Signed Hasui with artist’s seal Kawase, publisher’s red seal Watanabe at lower left, the series title cartouche on the left margin, Tabi miyage dai sanshu, followed by the print title, Iwami Arifuku Onsen, and date, Taisho ju sannen saku (work of Taisho 13 [1924])
Oban tate-e 15 1/8 by 10 1/4 in., 38.5 by 26 cm
References:
Dorothy Blair, Modern Japanese Prints, The Toledo Museum of Art, 1930, no. 72
Narazaki Muneshige, Kawase Hasui mokuhanga shu, 1979, p. 51, no. 129
Irwin J. Pachter, Kawase Hasui and His Contemporaries, 1986, p. 54, no. 40
Kendall H. Brown, & Hollis Goodall-Cristante, Shin-Hanga: New Prints in Modern Japan, 1996, p. 78, fig. 104, cat. 85
Kendall H. Brown., Kawase Hasui: The Complete Woodblock Prints, 2003, p. 345, no. 127
Abe Publishing, Kawase Hasui Woodblock Prints, 2009, p. 46,no. 61
Chiba City Museum of Art, Kawase Hasui, 2013, p. 79, no. 73
Carolyn M. Putney, et. al., Fresh Impressions: Early Modern Japanese Prints, Toledo Museum of Art, 2013, p. 132, cat. no. 76
Hisao Shimizu, Hasui Kawase, Folk Museum of Ota City, 2013, p. 44, no. 46 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, accession no. 66.412
The Art Institute of Chicago, reference no. 1990.607.378
Honolulu Museum of Art, James A. Michener Collection, object no. 19213
TREASURED VIEWS:
The Stipanich Collection of Kawase Hasui Woodblock Prints
September 12 – 20, 2024
11am – 5pm during duration of the exhibit (including 14-15 weekend), appointments appreciated; otherwise by appointment through October 4
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.
We are pleased to announce the release of two new print designs (as well as an unexpected bonus print) which are the first works launching two separate print series by Paul Binnie: Japanese Zodiac and A Day at the Beach.
Japanese Zodiac depicts men and women with tattoos that represent each of the twelve Japanese zodiac signs. The first print, Dragon, showcases the zodiac for 2024 and is inspired by an ink painting by Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) to which Binnie added his own colors, and each of the subsequent prints will have a different background color which will give a rainbow effect when finally completed and assembled in order.
A Day at the Beach features nude figures before a beach and skyscape background. The figure was created from the same block set that was used to create Dragon from the Japanese Zodiac series, however, in Padding an additional block was used to add a sheen of pale blue mica on the figure’s leg to suggest she is still wet from paddling in the ocean. In Ukiyo-e Sky, the print references its name from the 19th century ukiyo-e prints, where only a slightly shaded strip of color along the top of the sheet was used to depict the blue of the sky.
Also be sure to view the artist’s ongoing Travels with the Master series which pays homage to the shin-hanga landscape artist and father of Hodaka, Hiroshi Yoshida (1876-1950) on our website.
Paul Binnie: 30 Prints for 30 Years of Printmaking
To celebrate the release of his print set, The Moon Moth Suite, as well as his highly prolific and accomplished career, we have assembled this very special online exhibition celebrating Paul Binnie’s 30th year as a printmaker.
This online show not only features the recent print releases of Bubble Era of 1990 and Tears (red-bronze variant), but also some of the artist’s most rare and sought-after designs, including such rarities as his 1994 Nocturne and the 2005 Butterfly Bow, both 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.
Meiji Period (1868-1912)
An online presentation of Meiji Period (1868-1912) woodblock prints in celebration of the Japanese Art Society of America’s 50th anniversary exhibition, Meiji Modern: Fifty Years of New Japan, opening on October 3, 2023 at the Asia Society here in New York.
Our selection includes works by Kiyochika, Yoshitoshi, Ginko, Kunichika, Chikanobu, and Shuntei, among others, and concludes with a group of fifteen prints from the collaborative series promoting modern goods, Collections of Famous Products, The Pride of Tokyo, featuring complex mitate (parodies) enriched by layered meanings and cultural references which are revealed by unlocking the rebuses (picture puzzles) and wordplay.
View the exhibition here.
View the exhibition index here.
Backstage Pass: KABUKI (Part One and Two)
Featuring a selection of shin hanga prints and related ephemera, this online exhibit offers viewers both a front row seat to the drama…as well as a peek behind the curtain.
View Part One of the exhibition here.
View Part Two of the exhibition here.
PAST ASIA WEEK NEW YORK 2024 EXHIBITION:
COLLECTING THE MASTER: The Binnie Collection of Hiroshi Yoshida Paintings
March 14 – 22, 2024
Asia Week Hours: Mar 14-22, 11am-5pm (otherwise by appointment)
We are pleased to present our Asia Week exhibit, COLLECTING THE MASTER: The Binnie Collection of Hiroshi Yoshida Paintings, assembled by the prominent contemporary woodblock printmaker, Paul Binnie for this 15th year of Asia Week New York.
Hiroshi Yoshida (1876-1950) was a Japanese artist, painter and printmaker, widely known throughout the world for his woodblock printed work. Part of the shin- hanga (lit. ‘new print) movement of the first half of the twentieth century, Yoshida’s prints were produced in the same way as earlier ukiyo-e (lit. ‘pictures of the floating world’); woodblocks would be carved by a specialist artisan following the design of an artist, and then printed in colors by a specialist printer, all under the direction of a publisher, who then undertook to sell the finished product. However, in Yoshida’s case, he eventually employed the carvers and printers directly, acting as his own publisher and even occasionally carving and printing himself.
Aside from this well-known print career, Yoshida had a very active life as a painter and exhibited in a range of Japanese government-sponsored exhibitions, private art society group shows, and commercial galleries. He also exhibited widely embarking on trips to the United States and Europe in his early twenties. Along with friend and fellow-painter, Nakagawa Hachiro (1877-1922), they arranged several exhibitions, primarily of their watercolors, at museums and galleries in the Midwest and New England to great acclaim. Yoshida would continue to make several trips to capture the natural landscapes throughout the United States and Europe.
A natural leader and innovator, Yoshida was arguably one of the most influential artists in his time and among later generations as well, as evidenced by this collection. The Scottish artist and printmaker Paul Binnie (b. 1967) 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. In addition to the scrolls and fan paintings which feature subjects and motifs seen in Yoshida’s printed works, such as boats on the Inland Sea, and views of Mount Fuji, 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.
