This print depicts three figures standing at a waterfront. The figure on the left is holding a sword with a square cloth. The center figure is looking toward the left figure while the figure to the right is looking off the frame, a basket held in one hand. The moon is hanging in the sky to the left, a flock of herons flying in a diagonal across it.

Weight (lbs): 0.25
Height (In.): 10.25
Width (In.): 14.5
Depth (In.): N/A
Size: 14.5X10.25
Maker: Utagawa School
Material: Paper
Date: 19th C
Provenance: N/A
Condition: Moderate wrinkling, some fraying to the upper left and the top right corner.
History: Woodblock printing in Japan (moku-hanga) is a technique best known for its use in the ukiyo-e artistic genre of single sheets, but it was also used for printing books in the same period. Woodblock printing had been used in China for centuries to print books, long before the advent of movable type, but was widely adopted in Japan during the Edo period (1603-1868). Although similar to woodcut in Western printmaking in some regards, the moku-hanga technique differs in that it uses water-based inks—as opposed to western woodcut, which often uses oil-based inks. The Japanese water-based inks provide a wide range of vivid colors, glazes, and transparency.
Condition: Moderate wrinkling, some fraying to the upper left and the top right corner. History: Woodblock printing in Japan (moku-hanga) is a technique best known for its use in the ukiyo-e artistic genre of single sheets, but it was also used for printing books in the same period. Woodblock printing had been used in China for centuries to print books, long before the advent of movable type, but was widely adopted in Japan during the Edo period (1603-1868). Although similar to woodcut in Western printmaking in some regards, the moku-hanga technique differs in that it uses water-based inks—as opposed to western woodcut, which often uses oil-based inks. The Japanese water-based inks provide a wide range of vivid colors, glazes, and transparency.