Japanese Woodblock Print, 1940's

SIZE IN INCHES: 10 x 7.25 overall inches

COMMENTS: Miyama is a small, rural village with a population of about 3,600 people, north of Kyoto. It is known for its collection of 39 well-preserved thatched-roof farmhouses. With many of its buildings surviving from the mid-19th century, the village has been designated as an Important Preservation District for Groups of Historic Buildings.

TOKURIKI TOMIKICHIRO'S (1902-2000) woodblock prints are an important bridge between the two great movements of Japanese art in the early twentieth century; shin-hanga and sosaku-hanga. Like the classic shin-hanga masters of the day, Tokuriki designed many woodcuts of landscapes and city views in the traditional manner. Yet he actively promoted sosaku-hanga (creative prints) in Kyoto, which emphasized the artist's participation in the entire process of printmaking and the exploration of more modern styles and trends.

After WWII Tokuriki set up his own publishing company called Matsukyu and began to teach block-carving to artisans and artists, many of them foreigners. He also wrote extensively on the technique of woodblock carving and printing. He traveled extensively throughout the United States and Europe and in the 1960s he opened several exhibitions of his works in major U.S. cities such as, New York, Chicago, Cleveland and Pittsburgh.

VG, minor flaws as shown