Oda Hironobu: Scenery Below Miidera on a Rainy Day; Print and Two Printer’s Proofs (Sold)

Artist: Oda Hironobu (1888-?)
Title: Scenery Below Miidera on a Rainy Day; Print and Two Printer’s Proofs

Date: ca. 1930s

Unusual composition that fronts four moored sailboats before a more traditional lakeside view of Mii Temple. The rain has been printed in such a way that it looks very much like it was drawn with pencil, although it is of course printed with woodblocks to capture the artist’s original painting. This artist had a unique design viewpoint and his work with this publisher also gives  us a unique artist/publisher expression in shin hanga, quite unlike works published by Watanabe Shozaburo at the time. This final print is sold together with two unique publisher’s proof. The first proof is of the keyblock only; using this as a basis, the color blocks would then have been created in a collaboration between the printer and the carvers. We also have a publisher’s proof print that includes the title , but lacks the artist’s signature. This color proof also lacks several blocks that we see later in the trees, as well as changes to the overall coloration of the print. This color proof looks almost exactly like a watercolor painting with pencil and ink. Considered one of the Four Great Temples of Japan, Miidera Temple is located in Otsu just on Lake Biwa. Very scarce design. There are only a few works published by Maeda;  we can see how Watanabe Shozaburo effectively controlled the market for shin hanga at this time in Japan, especially any works produced near Tokyo. 

Condition:The two color prints are in excellent condition. The finished print has smudge in upper margin. Keyblock print has wrinkles along edges and some soft folds. and some staining, but much less noticeable than shows in the scan.

Dimensions: ôban (approx. 39 x 27 cm) Publisher: Maeba 
Literature: See the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art for their example from the peerless Muller Collection, no. S2003.8.1623. There are no other examples to be found in museum collections, at least those searchable online.  See “The new wave”, page 168, number 206 for another work by this artist.

SKU: HRN012