Kiyochika: Hunting near Mt. Fuji (Sold)

Artist: Kobayashi Kiyochika
Title: Hunting near Mt. Fuji
Date: Oct 11, 1878

Mt. Fuji at Sunset on a Lake in Suruga Province. Henry Smith II has a lot to say about this print, and why it is so interesting. He considers this an entirely new genre in Japan; the hunting print, which was well known in the west. He considers this work and the one other diptych of a hunting scene by Kiyochika to be the only two ever issued in this genre. They were innovative in “... using the woodblock medium to simulate such Western media as copperplate, lithography, and wood engraving.” Regarding this design, Smith notes “...Traces of net pattern may be found on the legs and faces of the two figures, but most of the expression derives from the use of unlined color with parallel lines for modeling”. Mt. Fuji is beautifully and carefully rendered, rising majestically in the distance. Rare.

Condition: Excellent impression, color and condition.
Dimensions: ôban horizontal
Publisher: Matsuki Heikichi
Literature: See Henry Smith II’s book “Kiyochika: Artist of Meiji Japan”, plate 17, page 310
Signature: Kobayashi Kiyochika

SKU: KYC180