About This Print
This large-format undated print, likely issued in the 1970s or 1980s by the publishing house Yūyūdō, is after a design which originally appeared in Takehisa Yumeji's 1915 book of poetry titled Samisen-kusa (Shamisen Leaves), published by the Tokyo publisher Shinchōsha. The original print appeared as one of six small woodblock prints bound into the book, as shown below.
The Book, Samisen-kusa
The entire book can be found in the archive of Waseda University Library http://archive.wul.waseda.ac.jp/kosho/bunko03a/bunko03a_00548/bunko03a_00548.html
The six woodblock prints in the book
Source: Modern Japanese Prints 1912-1989, Lawrence Smith, British Museum Press, 1994, p. 51.
This immensely popular book typified the melancholy view of fragilely beautiful women which was Yumeji's special contribution to the culture of the Taisho era (1912-26) and which helped establish the atmosphere of the period. The six individual small-scale woodblock prints bound into the volume are not major pieces, but the cumulative effect of the book, which also includes many illustrations in line process, collotype and halftone, is significant. All are of young geishas and other professional female players of the samisen, a three-stringed instrument plucked by ivory plectra, which had been the most used instrument in popular entertainment since its introduction from the Ryukyu Islands in the seventeenth century. All the illustrations are after Yumeji's paintings or sketches, and the selection of poems was also made by him. These are ko-uta, short romantic songs sung to a samisen accompaniment. Yumeji writes in the preface 'This volume is dedicated to the young women of the land where the samisen blooms with cherry blossom'. The volume was published by Satō Yoshikatsu at Shinchōsha, Tokyo.
Print Details
| IHL Catalog | #2230 |
| Title | Yanagi yu 柳湯 |
| Series | originally appeared in the poetry book Samisen-kusa |
| Artist | Takehisa Yumeji (1884-1934) |
| Signature |  |
| Seal | artist's comma-shaped (tomoe) seal  |
| Publication Date | Originally 1915, this edition unknown but likely c. 1970s-1980s |
| Edition | see above |
| Publisher |  |
| Carver |  彫師藤進 Itō Susumi |
| Printer |  摺遠藤忠雄 Toshihiro Endō |
| Impression | excellent |
| Colors | excellent |
| Condition | excellent |
| Genre | fukusei hanga |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Format | |
| H x W Paper | 18 3/4 x 12 3/8 in. (47.6 x 31.4 cm) |
| H x W Image | 17 15/16 x 10 15/16 in. (45.6 x 27.8 cm) |
| Collections This Print | |
| Reference Literature |
last revision:
1/10/2020 created
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