Onchi, Koshiro (Japanese 1891-1955), Portrait of the Poet Hagiwara Sakutaro (Sakutaro was the author of “Ice Island” and lived from 1886–1942), 1949 printed 1955 , color woodcut print, 20.5 x 16.75 inches, There were 3 editions completed after the war after a very small edition was produced in the war years. The first was an edition of seven printed by the artist himself during 1947 through 1949. the last edition was a posthumous edition published by the family and printed by Hirai Koichi in 1955 as the "Memorial Edition". But the second edition, of which this is one, was printed in 1949 under Onchi's supervision by one of his one of students, Sekino Jun'chir. There were approximately twenty to fifty impressions. They are considered to be very close to the master's in both color and depth. Printed as if they were monotypes, seven blocks and fifteen separate stages of printing were employed. It was this process that served to convey the deep emotions of the subject in a way that had never before been attempted. When the print was reproduced in several important publications and presented as the most important work of the saku-hanga movement, it became one of the rarest and most desirable prints in the Western and European markets. Very few of the second edition have surfaced in the market. Literature: Noriko Kuwahara, "Onchi's 'Portrait of Hagiwara Sakutaro': Emblem of the Creative Print Movement for American Collectors", 'Impressions', no. 29 (2007-08), pp. 120-139. See the Art Institute of Chicago for a print from this edition along with the various stage prints printed by Sekino Jun'chir: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/32138/portrait-of-the-poet-hagiwara-sakutaro-1886-1942-author-of-ice-island-1943, Provenance: Private Regional Collection

in good condition with printers skips in the margins and various handling marks in the margins and a small repaired tear in the lower right margin extending into the image for about .25 of an inch. Otherwise a strongly printed example of this rare image. Merchandise will be packed and transported by the purchaser at their own risk and expense. A current list of shippers is listed on our website www.conceptgallery.com under “Auctions” / “Shipping” tab.