Wada Sanzo - Born in Tokyo in 1883, Wada Sanzo was interested in art at a young age and studied at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts, graduating in 1904. He had a keen interest in Western design and studied in Europe from 1907 - 1915. He also traveled in Asia studying in India and Burma. He was appointed as a member of the Imperial Arts Academy in 1927 and taught at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts from 1932. Sanzo exhibited paintings at the Benten and Teiten in Japan and developed a loyal following. He is most well known for his print series titled "Occupations of the Showa Era".

Sanzo’s style is unique, combining the tradition of wood block print making with a design sensibility that is distinctly 20th century. He focused on scenes from contemporary life, showing people working and going about their daily routines. Sanzo's prints are a nice area of collecting and are an excellent opportunity to purchase original 20th century works at a reasonable price. Attractive and decorative, they are well suited to add to a collection or to add a distinctly Japanese element in a room.

Japanese Vocations in Pictures - Handsome design from a series that Tokyo artist Wada Sanzo created to show changing occupations during the rapid modernization of Japan in the mid-20th century. Wada created a total of three series on workers in Japan, illustrating both traditional and modern vocations. He began the series in 1938 to immediate success, with the first two series of 48 prints published by Nishinomiya Sho-In, but publication was halted in 1943 due to WWII. The third and final series was published in the 1950s by Kyoto Hanga-in under the title "Continuing Japanese Vocations in Pictures." These wonderful images of modern life are rendered in a very painterly style, with marvelous attention to lively details. They provide a terrific document of a changing era, recording many professions that were gradually disappearing alongside new jobs just being established.

Artist - Wada Sanzo

Image Size - 14 3/4" x 11 1/4" + margins as shown

Condition - With excellent color and detail. Some light toning at edges. Please see photos for details. Good overall.