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Meiji prints

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	Design:	Ikeda Shōen (1886-1917)
	Print title:	The rainy season
	Album/series title:	Yaekasumi (Multilayered mist)
	Size:	21.0 x 30.4 cm
	Original woodblock print
	Photography:	Jacques Commandeur

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Enlargement

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Special effects: silver metallic pigments on hair ornament, obi, butterflies on the kimono, and bamboo shoots on the fan.

Artist’s signature and two red artist’s seals with the name of the artist in left print area:

Character	Reading	Meaning	Translation
蕉	shō	plantain
園	en	garden	Shōen

Series title in orange cartouche in right margin:

Character	Reading	Meaning	Translation
や	ya
い	i
か	ka
す	su
み	mi		Multilayered mist

Publisher’s address and firm name (from right to left) in middle of bottom margin:

Character	Reading	Meaning	Translation
東	tō	east
京	kyō	capital
市	shi	city	Tokyo city,
日	ni	sun
本	hon	origin
橋	hashi	bridge
區	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,
滑	kotsu	slide
稽	kei	think
堂	dō	temple	Kokkeidō

English print title in red in bottom margin reading: leareless meditation. This is clearly a typo. According to Narazaki (1990), where this print is displayed, the Japanese title of the print is 梅雨, which reads as baiu and translates into: The rainy season.

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References

• Merritt, Helen, and Yamada, Nanako (1992). Guide to Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints: 1900 - 1975. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press.

• Narazaki, Muneshige, ed. (1990). Ukiyo-e Masterpieces in Western collections. The Robert O. Muller Collection. Tokyo: Kodansha International.

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

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Provenance: Artelino