MID-CENTURY JAPANESE WOODBLOCK PRINTS BY UCHIDA
Excellent group of five Japanese woodblock prints, each 10" x 11" or larger, printed by the Uchida company of Kyoto, circa 1950, and produced by three of the premier printmakers of the era: KOTOZUKA EIICHI (1906-1979), TOKURIKI TOMIKICHIRO (1902-2000), and HASEGAWA SADANOBU III (1881-1963). The Hasegawa print is a fine, brightly colored full-length depiction of a lady in traditional dress, entitled "Kabuki Drama: Lady Yaegakihime". It bears a paper label beneath the mat, denoting the title of the piece and the artist, and giving a short summary of the play. The remaining prints depict scenes around Kyoto and Nara, including the pagoda at Yakushi-ji Tample, and temples in the spring, autumn, and winter. Each print bears the artist's printed signature and seal with the publisher's mark of Uchida. All bear a black ink "SAMPLE" stamp on the verso. 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. One print is missing its mat cover, with the backing chipped, while another is missing a portion of the mat cover, and a third is loose from its backing, but the prints themselves remain in fine condition. Also present is a catalog, 20pp. oblong 8vo., bound with orange silk cord, giving an overview of the woodblock printing process and containing small images of Uchida's inventory, including the print of Yaegakihime. The catalog also includes samples of a woodblock printed postcard and greeting card, tipped to the first page and the back cover. Very good.