Japanese Woodblock Print, originally printed 1933, this later edition published by Doi Eiichi

SIZE IN INCHES: oban, 11.5 x 17 inches

KAMEIDO TENJIN SHRINE'S DRUM BRIDGE has often been interpreted by woodblock print designers beginning with Hokusai and Hiroshige and more recently by Hiroshi Yoshida and in the print pictured here by Koitsu. Koitsu takes a completely different point of view from other prints of the site.

Kameido was the name of Edo's northeastern most district. The areas main sight was and still is the Kameido Tenjinja Shrine, which is most famous for its arched "drum bridge" and wisteria. The shrine was established in 1662 in honor of the politician, scholar and poet Sugawara no Michizane. The legend has it that when Michizane was exiled to Kyushu and died there soon afterwards, some natural disasters struck Kyoto and were believed to be his vengeful spirit. Michizane was later associated with the Thunder God, and later the God of Literatre and Learning.

TSUCHIYA KOITSU'S (1870-1949) prints immortalize Japan's scenic beauty. Through subtle effects of light and shadow, Koitsu endows his art with an aura of bewitching beauty. Born in 1870 outside of Hamamatsu, he was given the name Koichi. At the age of 15, he moved to Tokyo to study Japanese wood block printing under Matsuzaki, a carver for the ukiyo-e master Kobayashi Kiyochika. However, he soon left Matsuzaki and became a student Kiyochika himself. For 19 years, Koitsu lived in Kiyochika’s home, studying the art of woodblock printing. His first prints (1894-95) were war scenes of the Sino-Japanese war and he later worked as a lithographer. In 1931, a chance meeting with the publisher Watanabe changed the course of his career. From that time on, Koitsu specialized in landscape prints in the shin hanga style.

Fine, no flaws