About This Print

Two different printings of the head of a bunraku puppet.  These two versions may be artist's proofs as they are not numbered as in the print below (numbered 28/100) which is shown in the Tokuriki-authored instruction guide on making woodblock prints.  The editioned version below has a more uniform printed background and is generally a cleaner printing than the above impressions.

verso of IHL Cat. #275 showing offset from the artist's print Chinese Copper Tiger (right)

Chinese Copper Tiger, undated Tokuriki Tomikichiro (from Wood-block Printing by the artist, p. 60)

A similar print, but using different blocks (see below), is in the collection of The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo

Print Details

IHL Catalog	#275 and #314
Title	A Bunraku Puppet Head
Series
Artist	Tokuriki Tomikichirō (1902-2000)
Signature	T. Tokuriki in English script
Seal	"tomi" seal 富
Date	cat. #275 dated 1962; cat. #314 dated 1962.6.8
Edition	number of editions and states is unknown
Publisher	self-published
Printer	self-printed
Impression	excellent
Colors	excellent
Condition Cat. #275	good - offsetting verso; folds lower left margin
Condition Cat. #314	good - masking tape remnants verso along perimeter and center bottom barely protruding into image.
Genre	sosaku hanga (creative print)
Miscellaneous
Format	oban
H x W Paper Cat. #275	15 3/8 x 10 1/4 in. (39.1 x 26cm)
H x W Image Cat. #275	12 3/8 x 9 1/4 in. (31.4 x 23.5 cm)
H x W Paper Cat. #314	14 1/8 x 10 3/8 in. (35.9 x 26.4 cm)
H x W Image Cat. #314	12 1/4 x 9 3/8 in. (31.1 x 23.8 cm)
Collections This Print	The British Museum (1987,0316,0.312)
Reference Literature	Wood-block Printing, Tomikichiro Tokuriki, Hoikusha Publishing Co., Ltd., 1968, p.9.