Utamaro Woodblock Print Kisegawa of the Matsubaya (Comparing the Charms of Five Beauties)

Utamaro Woodblock Print Kisegawa of the Matsubaya (Comparing the Charms of Five Beauties)

Name: Utamaro Woodblock Print Kisegawa of the Matsubaya (Comparing the Charms of Five Beauties)
Brand: Takahashi Kobo
SKU: tkk080010301
Price: 450.00 USD
Availability: InStock

$450.00

Kitagawa Utamaro worked in Edo in the 1790s at the height of the bijin-ga tradition, and no artist of the period matched his ability to render the inner life of a subject through the placement of a hand, the angle of a glance. Kisegawa II was a celebrated courtesan of the Matsubaya house in Yoshiwara — one of 5 women Utamaro portrayed in the series Comparing the Charms of Five Beauties, produced around 1795 to 1796. She is shown in bust portrait, chin resting on her fingertips, a fan held loosely in her right hand. A small pictorial rebus in the upper corner encodes her name — Utamaro's response to the Edo government's 1796 prohibition on naming women in prints. This woodblock reproduction is produced by Takahashi Kobo, founded in Bunkyo, Tokyo between 1854 and 1860, and now in its sixth generation. Every print is made using hand-carved woodblocks, mineral pigments, and Japanese washi paper, pressed and burnished by hand with a baren — the same method used when Utamaro first published this image.

Details

Size: W 13.4in x L 8.7in / W 34cm x L 22cm
Paper material: Echizen-kizu-hoshoshi (handmade washi paper)

The image shown includes a frame for illustrative purposes only. The frame is not included.

Each print is produced by hand, one color at a time, using traditional woodblock techniques. Natural variation in color and registration may occur between individual prints, and final dimensions may differ slightly from those listed. Occasional traces of ink may appear on areas of the paper outside the main printed image, such as the edges. These are inherent characteristics of the medium rather than defects.

Care & Use

Keep away from direct sunlight and UV exposure; water-based pigments on washi are susceptible to fading over time
Store flat or rolled in acid-free materials in a cool, dry, and dark environment; avoid humid or damp conditions
Handle by the edges only; natural oils from the skin can damage the washi surface and pigments
Do not fold, crease, or apply pressure to the printed surface
Keep away from heat sources, which can cause the washi to warp or become brittle
This is an unframed work; if framing, use a mat to keep the glass from direct contact with the print surface, archival-quality mounting materials throughout, and UV-filtering glazing to slow pigment fading

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Utamaro Woodblock Print Kisegawa of the Matsubaya (Comparing the Charms of Five Beauties)

$450.00

Meet the Artisan

Takahashi Kobo

Takahashi Kobo was founded during the Ansei era, between 1854 and 1860, in what is now Bunkyo City, Tokyo, making it the oldest continuously operating ukiyo-e woodblock print studio in Japan. The Takahashi family entered the craft as surishi, the printers who translate a carver's blocks into finished images through precise control of pigment, pressure, and washi. In 1877, the second-generation Kuranosuke Takahashi exhibited at Japan's first National Industrial Exhibition and received recognition from the Minister of Home Affairs. In 1890, the third generation demonstrated the technique before Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught. From the fourth generation onward, the studio expanded into the role of hanmoto, or publisher, overseeing the full process from planning through production. The fifth-generation Shinjiro Takahashi introduced silk screen printing as a complementary technique in 1955. The current representative, Takahashi Yukiko, became the sixth-generation head in 2009 after training under her father. Under her direction, the studio has brought its techniques to institutions including the British Museum, the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, and the Detroit Institute of Arts, and has undertaken revival projects of significant historical works. She chairs the Tokyo Traditional Woodblock Print Association, and the studio has been selected for the Edo Tokyo Kirari Project, a Tokyo Metropolitan Government initiative recognizing traditional Tokyo brands of international significance.