Azechi: Ishizuchiyama in Iyo 石鎚山

Artist: Umetaro Azechi 畦地梅太郎

Title: Ishizuchiyama in Iyo 石鎚山  Date: December, 1939

Series: 100 Views of New Japan 新日本百景 (Shin Nihon Hyakkei)

Publisher: Japan Woodblock Print Society (Nihon hanga kyokai)

Men in matching athletic gear have stopped at the top of Mount Ichizuchi, bowing towards the steep peak with their arms raised in a reverential gesture. This mountain is considered sacred, and people traditionally climbed it as a religious pilgrimage. As all the men here wear the same white athletic clothing, (except one man in blue who may be the leader of the group), and one man is clearly exhausted, shoulders sloped as he rests on a rock in the foreground–this would seem to be an athletic training exercise of sorts that is highly organized. It is possible that they are Japanese naval recruits from the Kure Naval Base, as climbing this mountain was an activity shown in a photograph from 1939. It seems probable that the artist encountered a group like this when he was climbing this peak. Azechi of course became well-known for his images of mountain men and climbers in the 1950s; he was an avid mountaineer himself. If these are indeed conscripts headed for war, it gives this very peaceful scene a more heavily weighted aspect of portent.

This dealer has seen estimates on the edition size of this set that range from 50 to 150. The series title is stamped in the upper right margin, and the name of the print association that published the set, Nihon hanga kyokai sen, is in the lower left. The artist’s name is written in pencil on the lower right margin, but it is not known if this was written by the artist himself.

Thirty-three artists contributed to this planned series of one hundred works, all members of the Nihon Hanga Kyôkai (Japan Woodblock Print Association). The first work was produced in December of 1938, and the series was halted after publishing  thirty-nine works, in 1941. There were two artist/editors of the set: numbers 1-9 were by Fujimori Shizuo and Maekawa Senpan took over for numbers 10-39. According to the Art Gallery of New South Wales website, publication of this series was stopped by the Japanese authorities during WWII because they feared that the interior of Japan would become known to its enemies. This would not be surprising given the paranoia of wartime, but it is also probable that there were other factors, including limited supplies and artists conscripted into the war machine. 

Condition: Excellent impression, color and condition. Dimensions:  25 x 32.5 cm

References: See National Museum of Asian Art, British Museum, Carnegie Museum of Art.

SKU: SNH025