Goyo

Design:

Hashiguchi Goyō (1880-1921)

Title:

Woman combing her hair

Size:

43.0 x 31.5 cm (dai oban)

Posthumous printing from newly cut woodblocks

Photography:

Theo Janssen

Enlargement

Special effects: fine purple mica background.

Original publishing date, and artist’s name in upper left of the print:

Character	Reading	Meaning	Translation

大	tai	big	The 9^th year
正	shō	correct	of the
九	kyū	nine	Taishō era
年	nen	year	(= 1920),
三	san	three	the third month
月	gatsu	month	(= March 1920)

Followed by Goyō seal:

in which the three kanji read:

Character	Reading	Meaning	Translation

五	go	five	Picture
葉	yō	leaf	by
画	ga	picture	Goyō

This print is a 60th anniversary commemorative edition, sanctioned by Goyō’s family, and published in December 1981.

Name of editor in left margin:

Character	Reading	Meaning	Translation

監	kan	keep watch over
修	shū	master	Editor:

文	bun	text
学	gaku	science
博	haku	extensive	doctor of
士	shi	scholar	literature

楢	nara	oak
崎	saki	cape
宗	shū	religion	Narazaki
重	shige	heavy	Muneshige

Names of publisher, printer, and carver of this later edition in lower left margin:

Character	Reading	Meaning	Translation

丹	tan	red
青	sei	blue
社	sha	company	Tanseisha
版	han	edition	Edition

摺	su(ru)	rub
匠	shō	artisan	Printer:
橋	hashi	bridge
詰	tsu(meru)	cram
光	hikari	light	Hashizume
男	otoko	man	Mitsuo

彫	ho(ru)	carve
匠	shō	artisan	Carver:
植	u(eru)	plant
谷	tani	valley
貞	tei	chastity	Uetani
雄	yū	male	Sadao

References

Narazaki, Muneshige, ed. (1990). Ukiyo-e Masterpieces in Western collections. The Robert O. Muller Collection [Hizo ukiyoe taikan. Muraa-korekushon]. Tokyo: Kodansha International.

Newland, Amy Reigle, and Uhlenbeck, Chris, Eds. (1990). Ukiyo-e to Shin Hanga. New York: Mallard Press.

Newland, Amy Reigle, and Shinji, Hamanaka (2000). The female image. Leiden: Hotei Publishing.

Newland, Amy Reigle, ed. (2004). Printed to Perfection. Twentieth-century Japanese Prints from the Robert O. Muller Collection. Amsterdam: Hotei Publishing, in association with Sackler Gallery/Smithsonian Institution.

Stephens, Amy (1993). The New Wave: Twentieth-century Japanese Prints from the Robert O. Muller Collection. London: Bamboo Publishing.

Provenance: A shop in the Kanda district of Tokyo, and thanks to the wonderful help of David Bull who also translated the kanji concerning editor Narazaki Muneshige for me on this print.