JAPANESE WOODBLOCK PRINTS OF MONTHS IN KYOTO BY UCHIDA
Excellent group of five Japanese woodblock prints, each 12 1/4" x 17 3/4" and mounted in a 13 3/4" x 19" mat, by KOTOZUKA EIICHI (1906-1979), and printed by the Uchida company of Kyoto, circa 1950. Each finely executed and colored print depicts a scene from various locations in Kyoto for the months of April, May, July, August, and September. The scenes depicted include a very large Torii gate, a cherry blossom viewing party, a festival lit by hundreds of lanterns, and fish-shaped kites over a traditional house. While many of the colors and themes are typical of traditional Japanese print making, the stylistic portrayal of human figures and the impressionistic brushwork highlight the modernity of the works. Each print bears the artist's printed signature and seal with the publisher's mark of Uchida, and is stamped with the printers publishing information beneath the mat. Three of the five also bear a paper label explaining the scene and identifying the artist. The verso of each print bear a catalog number and an ink identifying inscription, as well as a black ink "SAMPLE" stamp. These prints were salesman's samples acquired by a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Thomas Hood, who sold these prints in the eastern United States on behalf of Uchida. These are excellent examples of "Sosaku hanga" prints, which were produced based on a Western model of printmaking, in which the artists retained creative control over their works, and which utilized a unique synthesis of Japanese and Western aesthetic techniques. Some slight toning, with a tear to the backing of one print, else very good.