Tanzaku Prints with Birds

A Special Boston Collection - We are excited to share with you a special collection of Meiji era designs, original shin-hanga prints, and high quality reprints. During a recent trip to Boston, we purchased the remaining stock from a gallery specializing in Japanese woodblock prints. This Boston gallery opened in the mid 1920's and went out of business in 1933 during the Great Depression. The original owner's daughter had kept the prints safely stored for more than 75 years! These terrific works are in wonderful condition, looking almost as if they came straight from the publisher. A real treasure trove of pre-WWII prints, with original designs ranging from classic poem slips, serene landscapes, charming birds and flowers, and popular silhouette scenes, to reprints of masterworks by Hiroshige. A great opportunity to purchase an excellent early 20th century woodblock at a low Fuji Arts price!

Comments - Rare, uncut page including four tanzaku or poem slip prints of birds. At left, a pair of birds perches in a bare tree branch before a glowing full moon. The second design shows a heron on a snowy branch, while the next image features a bird in dark silhouette in a snow-covered willow tree. The final print shows two birds in flight high above crashing waves. Each design features the artist's rabbit seal (not read) and the publisher's mark of Matsuki Heikichi (Daikokuya) in Tokyo. A charming group with soft shading and a simple color palette in a rare uncut format.

Artist - Shin-hanga & Modern artist (not read)

Image Size - 12 1/2" x 10 1/4"

Condition - Nice color and detail. Faint stain at edge, small nick at top edge.