TAKEJI ASANO Vtg c1960s 'Mid Ed' XRare Color Shin-Hanga Print RAIN IN SHINNYODO

Description: WELCOME EBAYERS! MEIBOHM FINE ARTS, INC. is pleased to be serving the community and art enthusiasts for over a century. A reputation for personalized attention and customer service is an important part of this family business. Residential and commercial clients benefit from our knowledge of the art world, our experience in quality custom framing and from our extensive inventory. We hope we can be of service to you. Please check back often for our future listings on eBay or put us in your "Favorite Sellers" list. We have thousands of Antique, Vintage, Mid Century & Contemporary Prints, Original Artwork, and Etchings etc, that are in our archives, and most of which have not seen the Light-of-Day in over 75+ years or more. Thank you for looking, happy bidding and good luck!!! -From Grace Meibohm & the Staff at Meibohm Fine Arts, Inc. OUR QUALITY & RARITY CODES: QUALITY CODE: (Note: Older paintings or original artwork of any kind may be rated somewhat differently based on the codes below, due to the normal aging properties of the different mediums used (ex: normal paint cracquelure with older paintings, toning of paper, foxing on older pieces, etc...). · Excellent+Museum Quality, with no damage or visible imperfections. ·ExcellentAlmost perfect given the age w/minimal imperfections,minimal blemishes. ·VeryGoodAbove average w/minor imperfections given the age, or minor blemishes. ·GoodAverage imperfections given the age, or moderate imperfections or wear. ·FairBelow average with more imperfections given the age, or with more wear. ·BelowGradeWith clear imperfections and/or possibly in need of minor restoration. ·BelowGrade-With clear imperfections and/or possibly in need of serious restoration. RARITY CODE: · Rare++Unique, one of a kind, or an original on the open market. ·Rare+Very uncommon and/or very difficult to find on the open market. ·RareUncommon and/or moderately difficult to find on the open market. ·PopularFrequently encountered, common and easy to find on the open market. All Measurements Are In Inches; Height Precedes Width. Note: All items are sold "AS IS/AS DESCRIBED", to the best of our knowledge, research and ability. ITEM DESCRIPTION: Here is an Absolutely Gorgeous & Extremely Rare Vintage c1960s Japanese Shin-Hanga Early Mid-Edition Color Woodblock Print After the First Edition and From the Original Blocks Depicting an Atmospheric Rainstorm with Three Women Walking with Umbrellas Along the Stone Pathway Near the Well-known Shinnyodo Temple Pagoda in Kyoto, Japan titled, “Rain in Shinnyodo” (AKA Shinnyo-do), by the well-known listed painter & printmaker, ‘Takeji Asano’ (浅野竹二, Japanese, 1900-1999), whose printed signature in black ink appears lower-left in the image corner. You can read a brief artist biography below. About the Shinnyodo Temple: Founded in 984 by the priest Kaisan, the three-story Shinnyodo Temple is located just north of Kyoto on the top of Mount Yoshida, a few blocks from the popular Philosopher’s path, not far from both the Ginkakuji Temple and Heian Shrine. The Buddhist Temple of the Tendai sect was once located deeper in the mountains of eastern Kyoto and the Temple’s building was destroyed various times by war and fire which now date to 1693 following the Onin Wars that destroyed much of Kyoto city. The temple gardens incorporate a view of the Eastern Hills with a landscaping technique known as shakkei (borrowed scenery). The main hall dates to 1717 and displays a variety of artwork that is rotated throughout the year. The grounds of Shinnyodo are free to explore but there’s an entrance fee now for its main hall and gardens. (Sources: taleofgenji site; Japan-talk site; and travel.gaijinpot site). About the Print: This particular blockprint image, “Rain in Shinnyodo” was first printed as a limited First-Edition in 1953 (some were signed) before the Mid-Edition and Later Edition print-runs were produced. The First Edition was evidenced not only by the title, publisher, printer & carver’s “koma” seals, but also featured the original ‘date seal’ in Japanese kanji characters lower-left in the left outer margin area known as “margin dating” (Shōwa 28 = 1953; for Emperor Shōwa era 1926-1989) which was carved off the original black wood printing ‘key-block’ after the first edition run and maybe only about 100 were printed initially from research. About 1960, Asano’s relationship with Unsodo came to an end and at that time all existing blocks of his (as well as two other artist's prints by Kasamatsu & Okada) which were in the possession of Unsodo, had their “margin dates” permanently removed—they were simply carved OFF of the black “key-blocks”. At the same time, the remaining publisher, printer and carver’s “koma” seals were often additionally “re-positioned” slightly within the print’s margins (allowable since these “koma” are removable). Our Print doesn’t feature the original “margin dating” text, and is a Mid-Edition print which dates to circa the 1960’s. As with the First Edition, our print features the Japanese title is printed in the upper-left of the outer margin corner and in the lower-middle-left outer margin bears the same seals of the publisher Unsodo (top, reads: Tokyo Unsodo Han), the original Unsodo Printer Shinmi Saburo (middle, reads: suri [printer] Shinmi), and the original Unsoda carver Okura Hanbei (bottom, reads: hori [carver] Okura) and the English title is printed lower-middle in the bottom outer margin area. From research, the vast volume of prints by Takeji Asano (as well as artist Shiro Kasamatsu) surprisingly only two carvers and a single printer were responsible: The carvers were Nagashima Michio and Okura Hanbei, and the single printer of nearly all Unsodo prints was Shinmi Saburo, sometimes also (incorrectly) read as “Niimi Saburo.” Some later print editions didn’t feature those three seals at all and only featured some Japanese text. The Blockprint is on a nice medium-heavier weight light cream-colored Japanese Washi wove paper stock with deckled edges on three sides and features the ‘Un’ watermark in the lower-left outer margin corner—This character ‘Un’, the first character of the name Unsodo is also known as "Gei," (if alone). The name “Unsodo” comes from the name of Tomioka Tessai. “Unso” is a perennial plant of the Rutaceae family, and is cultivated for medicinal and ornamental purposes under the name “Wijnruit” in Southern Europe. It has long been used as a herb to protect books from pests. A dozen or so of Takeji’s prints are still being produced to this day by the publisher Unsodo, Kyoto (1891-Present). The Blockprint is tipped at its top corners to a stiff archival backing stock with a cream-colored archival flip-front mat which was previously framed for a time, but has been since removed and is being sold loose. The mat has been basically protecting the Blockprint this whole time, but could easily be changed-out to match any décor if the winning bidder so chooses. Size & Condition: The sheet size of the Blockprint with small margins is 15-3/4” x 10-3/4”, Image size is 14-3/8” x 9-1/2”, Matted size is 20-1/4” x 15-1/8”, Visible mat opening size is 14” x 9-1/4”. The Blockprint is in Excellent Rare+ condition for its vintage age with rich & fresh color with no discernable color fade (The earlier prints had a softer color scheme than the later prints). Simply Beautiful! The Blockprint has been tucked away in our archive for several decades since it was in the personal collection of Miss Meibohm—it’s as beautiful as the day it was printed and is as ‘mint’ as any collector could hope to find in its current condition. No tears. No real or significant damage at all on this gorgeous Blockprint aside from literally only a few very tiny & faint foxing specks scattered here & there on the sheet which are barely even noticeable in the outer margin areas (which are easily covered by the mat) and none visible in the image area. There are a few tiny various-colored printing ink-offset specks & spots scattered here & there in the outer margins as well—all outer margin issues are completely negligible since they are easily covered by the mat. Negligible toning of the paper stock from its vintage age which isn’t even noticeable amidst the light cream color of the paper stock itself. No real or significant creasing at all aside from a little waviness to the paper in the outer top & bottom margins from when it was originally printed. This Blockprint would make a wonderful addition to any Takeji Asano collection or vintage Japanese prints/art collection. Brief Artist Biography: Asano Takeji 浅野竹二 (Japanese, 1900-1999) was one of many cross-over artists who worked in both the shin hanga (new prints) and sōsaku hanga (creative prints) styles. Born in Kyoto on October 24, 1900, he graduated from the Kyoto City School of Fine Arts and Crafts in 1919 and the Kyoto Municipal College of Painting in 1923. He first learned Western oil painting and then turned to Japanese-style painting under Tsuchida Bakusen (1887-1936). In 1928, he became interested in woodblock printing through a course offered at Gasendo in Kyoto, by Hiratsuka Un'ichi (1895-1997), one of the founders of the sōsaku hanga movement. He was active in the formation of the Kyoto Sōsaku-Hangakai (Kyoto Creative Print Society) in 1929 along with Tokuriki Tomikichirō (1902-2000), Asada Benji (1899-1984), Kawai Unosuke (1889-1968), and others. In 1930, he participated with Tokuriki and Asada in creating the series Creative Prints of Twelve Months in New Kyoto (Sōsaku-hanga shin Kyoto junikagetsu) published by Uchida Publishing. In the early 1930s, he contributed to the magazine Taishu hanga (Popular Prints), published by Kyoto Sōsaku-Hangakai. Also in the early-30s, he worked on a self-carved and self-printed set of views of the Kyoto area, two designs of which are represented in this collection. In 1947, he created the self-carved, self-printed series Noted Views in the Kyoto-Osaka Area (Kinki meisho fukei). Starting in the 1950s, Asano designed a large number of shin hanga style prints for the Unsōdō Publishing company, which continue to be printed to this day. He was an associate member of Nihon Hanga Kyokai from 1955-1960. He became friends with the American artist Ben Shahn (1898-1969), during Shahn’s visit to Japan in 1964, and continued that friendship until Shahn's death. In the 1960s, Asano created a number of print series of scenic views (meisho-e) from various regions of Japan, including Hokkaidō, Kyūshū, Jōshin’etsu, San’in, Seto Inland Sea and Shikoku. Many of the series’ title employ the phrase “Here and There” in their titles seen written in kanji as either 所々 or 散見. After his return from his extensive tour of Mexico, U.S.A., Spain, Italy, Greece, and Turkey in 1965, Asano created a ten-print series titled Here and There in the West (西洋所々, Seiyō tokorodokoro). While in Mexico City he held a one-artist exhibition. His late prints from the 1970s and 1980s are simple, seemingly naïve, humorous, and signed T.A. preceded by an apostrophe and the year. Noted for his carving skills, Takeji taught the art of woodblock carving and printing well into his 90s. According to one of his students, Fumio Machida, he would tell his students, “Don’t complicate your drawing. Eliminate all unnecessary things but leave the essence.” Further reminiscing, Machida goes on to say, “After his wife passed away, we students often visited his house in order to share his loneliness, but it usually turned out that it was us who received much encouragement from him. He didn’t have a particular studio space, his living room was the studio. There was also a guest room attached to a sunny veranda where we all would sit and enjoyed listening to the telling of his younger days’ stories about going sketching to the Tohoku and Kanto areas, and to Sado Island, and about his experiences in Hokkaido when he was teaching at a woman’s school in Sapporo. Asano retired from the class, if I remember correctly, when he was 97 because he found it harder to walk. However, he continued to paint with gouache at home and we used to see a large pile of sketchbooks on his desk. He was painting 5-6 pieces a day.” Asano’s archive, consisting of most of his woodblock prints and some of his blocks, his tools, many of his sketchbooks and works by his friend the American artist Ben Shahn, is held by Kyoto Seika University. Mr. Asano passed away on February 10, 1999. Other sources state he died in either 1998 or 2002, both of which I believe are incorrect for this artist from research. (Sources: myjapanesehanga site, “The Lavenberg Collection of Japanese Prints: Asano Takeji (1900-1999); Biographical Data”). PAYING FOR YOUR ITEM: DOMESTIC PAYMENTS: are made via PayPal (Preferred) and WE REQUIRE FULL PAYMENT WITHIN 4 DAYS OF AUCTION CLOSE, otherwise an 'Unpaid Item Dispute' will be opened & filed automatically by eBay. 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Price: 374.99 USD

Location: East Aurora, New York

End Time: 2024-12-11T14:46:23.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD