Meiji prints
| Design: | Mizuno Toshikata (1866-1908) | |||||
| Print title: | Gifu paper lantern | |||||
| Album/series title: | Imayō Bijin (Modern style beauties) | |||||
| Size: | 20.9 x 30.3 cm (ōban) | |||||
| Original woodblock print | ||||||
| Photography: | Jacques Commandeur |
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Special effects: silver metallic pigments and embossing (kara-zuri) on the round fan; embossed fabric printing (nuno-me-zuri) on the woman’s kimono.
Artist’s signature in lower right of the print:
| Character | Reading | Meaning | Translation |
| 応 | ō | answer | |
| 需 | ju | request | |
| 年 | toshi | year | |
| 方 | kata | person | Illustration by |
| 方 | e | illustration | Ōju Toshikata |
Followed by red 賞 (shō, award) and 雪 (setsu, snow) seals.
Series title and print number in light orange cartouche in right margin:
| Character | Reading | Meaning | Translation |
| 今 | ima | now | |
| 様 | yō | manner | |
| 美 | bi | beautiful | |
| 人 | jin | person | Modern style beauties |
| 七 | shichi | seven | Seven |
Printing and publishing date, and publisher’s address and name in lower left margin:
| Character | Reading | Meaning | Translation |
| 明 | mei | light | |
| 治 | ji | government | Meiji era, |
| 三 | san | three | |
| 十 | jū | ten | |
| 一 | ichi | one | |
| 年 | nen | year | the 31st year (= 1898), |
| 十 | jū | ten | |
| 二 | nichi | two | |
| 月 | gatsu | month | the 12th month (= December), |
| 十 | tō | tenth | |
| 日 | ka | day | the 10th day, |
| 印 | in | stamp | |
| 刷 | satsu | ||
| 臨 | rin | confront | |
| 写 | sha | copy | |
| 印 | in | stamp | |
| 刷 | satsu | printed, | |
| 同 | dō | same | |
| 年 | nen | year | the same year, |
| 今 | kon | this | |
| 月 | getsu | month | this month, |
| 二 | ni | two | |
| 十 | jū | ten | |
| 日 | nichi | day | the 20th day, |
| 発 | hatsu | emit | |
| 行 | kō | go | |
| 兼 | ken | at the same time | |
| 発 | hatsu | emit | |
| 行 | kō | go | |
| 者 | sha | person | published. |
| 東 | tō | east | |
| 京 | kyō | capital | |
| 市 | shi | city | Tokyo city, |
| 日 | ni | sun | |
| 本 | hon | origin | |
| 橋 | hashi | bridge | |
| 区 | ku | district | Nihonbashi district, |
| 室 | muro | greenhouse | |
| 町 | machi | quarter | Muro quarter, |
| 三 | san | three | |
| 丁 | chō | house block | |
| 目 | me | count suffix | 3rd house block, |
| 九 | kyū | nine | |
| 番 | ban | number | |
| 地 | chi | earth, land | number 9, |
| 秋 | aki | autumn | |
| 山 | yama | mountain | Akiyama |
| 武 | bu | military | |
| 右 | u | right | |
| 衛 | ei | protect | |
| 門 | mon | gate | Buemon |
References
- Newland, Amy Reigle (2021). Printed and painted. The Meiji art of Ogata Gekkō (1859-1920). Leiden: Hotei Publishing.
- Stephens, Amy Reigle (1993). The New Wave: Twentieth-century Japanese Prints from the Robert O. Muller Collection. London: Bamboo Publishing.
Provenance: Yagiya Bobongua store