About This Print
Five small book plates that were created for a collector of ex libris 蔵書票 with the name of S. Kagayama. Three of the bookplates show the collector's name in kanji characters, either 加賀山 (Kagayama) or 加賀山 蔵書 (Kagayama library) and the other two provide the collector's name in English, either Kagayama or S. Kagayama.
Ex Libris and the Sōsaku Hanga Movement
Source: Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints - The Early Years, Helen Merritt, University of Hawaii Press, 1998, p. 272.
Early in the sōsaku-hanga movement both bookplates and New Year cards became popular. These required small designs and appealed to those who did not feel competent to handle large blocks. They were, however, also produced by major artists.
...[T]he modern enthusiasm for bookplates is traceable to Europe, as indicated by the Japanese use of the Latin term "ex libris." The European revival of bookplates [in the late 19th century] spread to Japan through an article by Emil Orlik in Myōjō in 1900 during his stay in Japan.
Print Details
| IHL Catalog | #2025, #2026, #2027, #2028, #2029 |
| Titles | untitled |
| Series | N/A |
| Artist | Maekawa Senpan (1888-1960) |
| Signature | unsigned |
| Seal | 2025: "sen"; 2026: not signed; 2027 "千帆" Senpan; 2028 "センパン" Senpan; 2029: not signed |
| Publication Date | unknown, possible c. 1950s |
| Edition | |
| Publisher | commissioned by the collector |
| Carver | likely the artist |
| Printer | likely the artist |
| Impression | excellent |
| Colors | excellent |
| Condition | excellent |
| Genre | sosaku-hanga (creative print) |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Format | |
| H x W Paper | 2025: 3 7/8 x 3 in. (9.8 x 7.6 cm) 2026: 4 5/8 x 3 3/8 in. (11.7 x 8.6 cm) 2027: 3 3/4 x 2 3/8 in. (9.5 x 6 cm) 2028: 1 15/16 x 2 5/8 in. (4.9 x 6.7 cm) 2029: 3 1/4 x 2 5/8 in. (8.3 x 6.7 cm) |
| Collections This Print | |
| Reference Literature |
created: 2/13/2019
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