About This Print and the Series Seihō's Masterpieces
This print titled South China Scenery was released June 15, 1942 as part of the second of two sets of sixty-six prints titled Seihō's Masterpieces (aka Seihō's Masterworks), printed and issued by Unsōdō Publishing. It is listed as print 33 (三三) in set two's table of contents sheet.This print, was derived from one of Seihō's ink paintings created after his trips to China in 1920 and 1921. It bears great similarity to two prints in his 1936 portfolio Scenes of China, Sūzhōu Twin Pagoda Temple and Longhua Temple, Jiangnan. It was issued as one of six prints in the ninth, and the last, envelope of set two of Seihō's Masterpieces. The colophon, shown below, pasted to the envelope, gives the dates of printing and issue, the titles of the prints, copyright information, and information about the publisher.
A combination of print processes (see further discussion see the article "Takeuchi Seihō: Seihō's Masterpieces.") were used for this series and this particular print is likely a woodblock print with mica highlights, although the printing method needs to be confirmed.
Colophon Envelope 9 Set Two
Dated June 15, 1942
Date of issue reads Showa 17 (1942), 6th month, 15th day
Date of printing reads Showa 17 (1942), 6th month, 5th day
last revision:
Dated June 15, 1942
Date of issue reads Showa 17 (1942), 6th month, 15th day
Date of printing reads Showa 17 (1942), 6th month, 5th day
The Series "Seihō's Masterpieces"
For images of all sixty-six prints and a description of the series, please go to the article "Takeuchi Seihō: Seihō's Masterpieces."Print Details
| IHL Catalog | #2462 |
| Title | South China Scenery 南支風光 Nanshi fūkō |
| Series | Seihō's Masterpieces (栖鳳逸品集 Seihō's ippin shū) (set 2) |
| Artist | Takeuchi Seihō (1864-1942) |
| Signature |  |
| Seal | two unread square seals (see image above) |
| Publication Date | June 15, 1942 |
| Edition | original and only edition |
| Publisher | Unsōdō Publishing |
| Printer | Shinmi Saburō 新味 三朗 |
| Impression | excellent |
| Colors | excellent |
| Condition | excellent |
| Miscellaneous | removed from its original heavy paper backing/matting |
| Genre | nihonga (also classed as e-hon, as the series prints exist as bound volumes) |
| Format | non-standard |
| H x W Paper and Image | 10 3/16 x 13 1/2 in. (25.9 x 34.3 cm ) |
| Collections This Print | New York Public Library, Spencer Collection; Rijksmuseum Amsterdam RP-P-2005-615-30 |
| Reference Literature | The Artist and the Book in Japan, Roger S. Keyes, The University of Washington Press with New York Public Library, December 2006, p. 252-253; The Art of the Japanese Book, 2 vols., Jack Hillier, Sotheby's Publications, 1987, p. 992-993. |
3/31/2021 created
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