Meiji prints


  Design: Yamamoto Shōun (1870-1965)  
  Print title: Spring haze  
  Album/series title: Shiki no Nagame (Scenes of the four seasons)  
  Size: 20.3 x 30.0 cm (ōban)  
  Original woodblock print    
  Photography: Jacques Commandeur
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Yamamoto Shoun Shiki no Nagame Spring haze

Enlargement


Special effects: embossing (kara-zuri) on the collar of the lady on the left, and on some kimono’s of the ladies on the right.

Published in 1906 by Matsuki Heikichi.

This print has no vertical fold in the middle, meaning that it was issued separately and not as part of an orihon (i.e., folding book).

Artist’s signature in middle left print area:

Character Reading Meaning Translation
       
shō rise  
un cloud Shōun

Series title in right margin:

Character Reading Meaning Translation
       
shi four  
ki seasons  
no ’s  
na    
ga   Scenes of the
me scenes four seasons

Followed by print title:

Character Reading Meaning Translation
       
haru spring  
ka    
su    
mi haze Spring haze

Printing and publishing dates in left margin:

Character Reading Meaning Translation
       
mei light Printed in the
ji government Meiji era,
san three  
ten  
kyū nine  
nen year the 39th year (= 1906),
ten  
ni two  
gatsu month the 12th month (= December),
ten  
go five  
nichi day  
in stamp  
satsu print the 15th day.
       
kon now Published in
nen year the same year,
kon now  
getsu month the same month,
廿 jūnyū twenty  
hachi eight  
nichi day  
hatsu emit  
go the 28th day.

Followed by the publisher’s address, name and telephone number:

Character Reading Meaning Translation
       
ga drawing  
saku make  
in stamp  
satsu print  
ken combine  
hatsu emit  
go Painter, printer,
sha person and publisher,
       
east  
kyō capital  
shi city Tokyo city,
ni sun  
hon origin  
hashi bridge  
ku district Nihonbashi district,
yoshi good luck  
kawa river  
chō quarter Yoshikawa quarter,
ni two  
ban number  
chi earth, land number 2,
       
matsi pine  
ki tree  
hei level  
kichi good luck Matsuki Heikichi,
       
den electricity  
wa conversation  
ni two  
sen thousand  
ni two  
hyaku hundred  
hachi eight  
ten  
roku six  
ban number telephone number: 2286.

Name and address of the publisher in romaji in left bottom margin: “Sold by Daikokaya, H. Matsuki, No. 2, Yoshikawa-cho, Ryogoku, Tokyo, Japan.”


References


Provenance: The Arts and Designs of Japan website of Peter and Lois Gilder.

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