About These Prints
Six tiny prints by the artist, printed on a gummed paper with perforations between each print, and tipped into a portfolio strangely titled Loving Service Hanga Seal, published by The Central Community Chest of Japan, Inc., to familiarize foreigners with the revival of Japanese woodblock printing. Descriptions for each print are printed underneath the gummed sheet as shown below. I imagine the small prints were designed as envelope seals, given they were printed on gummed paper.
Asakusa Stalls, The Palace Plaza, The Palace Moat,
Kan-eiji Pagoda, The Kabuki Theater, Shinjuku Garden
click on image to enlarge
Loving Service Seal Hanga
The outside front and back covers of this portfolio are color woodblock prints by Onchi Kōshirō (1891-1955). While the Onchi woodblocks, pictured below, are missing from this particular portfolio the complete portfolio is also held in this collection. (See IHL Cat. #1298.) These cover prints are some of the last works created by Onchi and are not listed in the catalog raisoneé of his prints, Prints of Onchi Koshiro.
An inner folder contains an introduction by Onchi titled "Japanese Woodcut Print"on its front cover and its back cover contains a historical overview titled "Japanese Woodcut Print" also, presumably, by Onchi. The folder encloses ten small gummed woodblock print seals by the noted sosaku hanga (creative print) artists Kitaoka Fumio (1918-2007) and Shinagawa Takumi (1908-2009). To view the prints created by Kitaoka Fumio go to IHL Cat. #976.
front and back of inner folder
click on image to enlarge
tipped into the inner folder
click on image to enlarge
tipped into the inner folder
click on image to enlarge
located underneath the prints
click on image to enlarge
located underneath the prints
click on image to enlarge
Pictured above is the outside cover of the portfolio consisting of two woodblock prints
created by the foremost print-maker of his generation and a founder
The inside rear cover of the inner folder states "The work on the back cover is
adapted for framing as it may be desired."
Note: While the Onchi woodblocks are missing from this particular portfolio
Print Details
| IHL Catalog | #977 |
| Title | Six small gummed prints titled Asakusa Stalls, The Palace Plaza, The Palace Moat, Kan-eiji Pagoda, The Kabuki Theater, Shinjuku Garden |
| Series | from the portfolio Loving Service Seal Hanga |
| Artist | Kitaoka Fumio (1918-2007) |
| Signature | F. Kitaoka printed below each small print |
| Seal | none |
| Publication Date | July 1953 |
| Edition | n/a |
| Publisher | The Central Community Chest of Japan, Inc. |
| Impression | excellent |
| Colors | excellent |
| Condition | excellent |
| Genre | sosaku-hanga (creative print) |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Format | |
| H x W Paper | 7 x 4 7/8 (43.8 x 29.8 cm) dimensions are for the entire printed gummed sheet tipped into the presentation page |
| H x W Image | 5 7/8 x 4 (39.7 x 28.9 cm) dimensions are for the area inside the perforations surrounding the six prints |
| Collections This Print | The British Museum 1989,0314,0.103 |
| Reference Literature |
last update:
5/25/2019
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