Ishu Kankokai Published Commemorative
Commemorative Kotondo Prints - With the permission of Kotondo's heirs, a single small commemorative runs of his prints was produced by the venerable publisher Ishukankokai. These reprints were produced to the same exacting standard as Kotondo's originals. Expert carvers were contracted to produce the highest quality wood blocks and printers meticulously reprinted Kotondo's originals with the same attention to quality and detail. These reprints are on beautiful, hand made paper printed with the same colors and mica detail as Kotondo's originals.
Torii Kotondo, 20th century master - Torii Kotondo was a native of Tokyo. He was one of the great shin-hanga masters who excelled in the art of the beauty print. Prints such as his exquisite nude "Kamisuki," the demure beauty in the print titled "Sash," and his lovely image of a young woman in winter in "Peony Snowflakes" are all classic examples of Kotondo's mastery of the beauty print. Kotondo's prints are considered some of the most stunning beauty designs and great masterworks of the 20th century wood block print tradition. His output of beauty prints was a very small (22 works total), and the number of prints produced of each image was also small. Original Kotondo prints are very rare and highly sought after by collectors today. His best images easily exceed $10,000 in the Japanese print market.
After Kotondo's death, with the permissions of his heirs, the venerable publisher Ishukankokai produced a limited edition set of 12 Kotondo beauty designs. Only 100 sets were produced. These fantastic Kotondo designs were again available in strictly limited quantity for collectors to enjoy. Today, once again, Kotondo works are almost impossible to find in the market, including these Ishukankokai prints.
After the Bath - Limited Edition Commemorative Print - A beautiful Kotondo design of a young woman in a light bathrobe, passing through the door curtain of a public bath. One of Kotondo's classic images and one of the most famous wood block prints of the 20th century. The young beauty emerging from the bath behind the traditional curtain is a shin-hanga classic. Lovely color and detail in an excellent print. The pigment on the door curtain printed with a mottled effect and utilizing the circular marks of the baren for texture. Without question, a wonderful print for display.
Signed - Kotondo-ga
Seal - Kotondo
Publisher - Ishu Kankokai, with red moneybag seal
Carver/Printer - Ito Susumu/Watanabe Yoshiaki
Image size - 10 1/4" x 16 1/8"
Sheet size - 13" x 19"
Artist - Torii Kotondo (1900 - 1976)
Condition - Excellent color and detail. Small spot in the margin.