JAPANESE ART > KUCHI-E WOODBLOCK PRINTS > A PAULOWNIA LEAF

Lot 00757
N.1 kuchi-e woodblock print

Suzuki Kason

A PAULOWNIA LEAF

Year: 1896
Condition: fair
Size: 26,5 x 22,5 cm

SOLD

«Autumn has come in heaven and earth, and the leaves are falling in the garden. But a paulownia leaf, the symbol of my family name, never falls and my spirit of loyalty never changes». The words of the famous daimyo Katagiri Katsumoto (片桐且元) are taken from the third act of the kabuki play "Kiri Hitoha" (桐一葉), meaning "a paulownia leaf", by Harunoya Oboro (春のやおぼろ), pseudonym of the playwright Tsubouchi Shoyo (坪内逍遥).

The elegant kuchi-e (口絵) woodblock print presented here, made by the artist Suzuki Kason (鈴木華邨), was produced as the frontispiece of the print version of the aforementioned play, edited in February 1896 by the publisher Wada Atsutaro (和田篤太郎), owner of Shunyodo (春陽堂) in Tokyo.

The print on Japanese washi paper (和紙), despite the obvious signs of aging, is in fair condition.

Back to home page »