Niwaka Festival Surimono

by Shunzan (active circa 1782 - 1798)

Current Status

Niwaka Festival Surimono by Shunzan (active circa 1782 - 1798)

Shunzan (active circa 1782 - 1798) Japanese Woodblock Reprint
Niwaka Festival Surimono

Surimono - Surimono are an exclusive subcategory of Japanese woodblock prints. Poetry clubs commissioned these designs for distribution to a small audience of members, most often as New Year's greetings. These privately published images included a wonderful range of subjects and lavish printing techniques such as embossing, burnishing, and metallic pigments. Since surimono were not sold commercially, the print runs were very small and original Edo era surimono are incredibly rare in the market today. Many high-quality reprints of these great designs were published during the Meiji era.

A Special 1931 Group - These lovely prints come from a series of fifty classic surimono designs reprinted by the publisher Daito in 1931. Like the originals, many include deluxe embellishments, like embossing and metallic pigments. These fascinating and beautifully printed images continue to delight collectors today.

Comments - Charming image of four beauties dressed as yomi-ura or newspaper peddlers for the Niwaka Festival in the Yoshiwara. Each wears a fluted basket hat and carries a paper. They wear matching lavender kimono patterned with miniature books and trimmed with layers of pale pink and green tie-dyed fabrics. An attractive subject, nicely detailed and softly colored with touches of embossing.

Artist - Shunzan (active circa 1782 - 1798)

Image Size - 9 1/2" x 7 7/8"

Condition - This print with excellent color and detail as shown. Slight toning, a few small creases at edges and spots. Please see photos for details. Good overall.

Niwaka Festival Surimono by Shunzan (active circa 1782 - 1798)
Niwaka Festival Surimono by Shunzan (active circa 1782 - 1798)

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