Eastern Brocades, Day and Night Compared - Designed in 1886, Chikanobu's extraordinary "Eastern Brocade" series features a fantastic range of subjects, including brave warriors, eerie ghosts, timeless beauties, and famous figures from traditional tales of triumph and treachery. These beautiful images bring the history and legends of Japan to life with colorful characters and a wonderful attention to detail. Note the appealing compositions and fine printing in these Meiji era masterworks, many of which include deluxe treatments such as burnishing, embossing, or the addition of mica. These attractive designs are a nice choice to collect or display.

Nakamitsu's Only Son Kojumaru Is Substituted, No. 33 - Minamoto no Mitsunaga's son Bijomaru was sent to a temple become a priest, but the boy spent all his time practicing with his sword. Greatly angered, Mitsunaga ordered his faithful retainer Nakamitsu to kill Bijomaru, but Nakamitsu could not bear to do it. Instead, he sacrificed his only son, Kojumaru. When he learned what had happened, Bijomaru converted and became a well-known priest, founding a temple in Kojumaru's honor. This moving scene shows Nakamitsu with his son Kojumaru in their last few minutes together, the son calmly accepting his fate under his father's stern gaze. His mother watches from behind a sliding screen, biting her kimono sleeve to stifle her sobs. The inset shows Bijomaru in a moment of youthful swordplay. A fine scene from this legendary tale, detailed with burnishing on the black lacquer doorframes and embossing in the white kimono.

Collection Note from Bill: I was excited to purchase this beautiful print in Japan recently as part of a fine, pristine Chikanobu collection sourced from a Japanese collector in the countryside. The prints are all beautifully printed, retain 100% of their original color, are not backed, and were stored in perfect condition. They’re a nice opportunity to collect flawless prints from this rarely seen Chikanobu series.

Artist - Chikanobu (1838 - 1912)

Image Size - 8 3/4" x 13" + margins as shown

Condition - This print with excellent color and detail as shown. Nice large margins. Please see photos for details. Good overall.