Design: Toyohara Chikanobu (1838-1912)  
  Title: Beauty no. 35 in the Shin Bijin (True Beauties) Series, also known as ‘Beauty behind a screen’  
  Size: 30.2 x 21.0 cm (aiban)  
  Original woodblock print    
  Photography: Theo Janssen Home
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Chikanobu(1)

Enlargement

Series title in bottom margin:

Character Reading Meaning Translation
       
人 jin person  
美 bi beautiful  
真 shin truth True beauties

Artist’s signature in bottom margin:

Character Reading Meaning Translation
       
葉 yō leaf  
修 shū discipline  
周 chika circumference Yōshū
延 nobu prolong Chikanobu

Printing and publishing dates, publisher’s address and name, and number in series in left margin:

.
Character Reading Meaning Translation
       
明 mei light Printed in the
治 ji government Meiji era,
       
三 san three  
十 jū ten  
一 ichi one the 31th year
年 nen year (= 1898),
       
三 san three the 3rd month
月 gatsu month (= March 1898),
       
三 san three  
日 ka day  
印 in stamp and the 3rd day
刷 satsu print (= March the 3rd, 1898).
       
今 kon now  
月 getsu month  
       
七 nano seven Published
日 ka day in the same
発 hatsu emit month,
行 kō go on its 7th day,
       
臨 rin confront  
写 sha copy by copier,
       
印 in stamp  
刷 satsu print printer,
       
兼 neru combine  
発 hatsu emit  
行 kō go  
者 sha person and publisher,
       
日 ni sun  
本 hon origin located at
橋 hashi bridge Nihonbashi
区 ku district district,
       
室 muro greenhouse  
町 chō quarter Muro quarter,
       
三 san three  
丁 chō house block  
目 me count suffix 3rd house block,
       
九 yū nine  
番 ban number  
地 chi earth, land number 9,
       
秋 aki autumn  
山 yama mountain Akiyama
       
武 bu military  
右 u right  
エ*) e artisan  
門 mon gate Buemon.
       
十十十*) san jū thirty No.
五 go five thirty five.

References

Provenance: Carolyn Staley Fine Japanese Prints

*) Gratefully acknowledging Anne and Jan van Doesburg -from whom I obtained a second beautiful original copy of this print- for pointing this out to me.