Kotozuka Eiichi: The Great Bell Tower of Todaiji Temple in Nara 奈良東大寺大鐘櫓 (Reserved)

Artist: Shigeru Matsunaga 栗山茂 (1912-2010)

Title: The Great Bell Tower of Todaiji Temple in Nara 奈良東大寺大鐘櫓

Date: 1939, April

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

Snapshot of the imposing scale of the Great Bell Tower of Todaiji Temple. The artist communicates the weight and history of the structure, contrasting it skillfully with the light amusement of tourists enjoying a sunny autumn day. At bottom is a charming vignette of woman pointing her camera towards a man who is pulling back the great gong on the belfry to give the bell a ring.  In addition to the two women we see two of Nara’s iconic deer in the corner amidst the bright autumn colors, one looking left. We see most of the shape of the historic bell, and the belfry itself is large, dark and imposing. It is a relief to note that this 58,000-pound bronze bell from the 8th century still hangs today in the bell tower, as it was exempted from the WWII order that mandated the requisition and smelting of Buddhist temple bells in Japan. It is one of the Three Famous Bells of Japan, and is known for its long ring tone.

Kotozuka was born in 1906 in Osaka, and studied at the Kyoto City Specialist School of Painting. He was a member of Nihon Hanga Kyokai from 1938.

More than thirty sosaku-hanga print artists collaborated to create this series of prints, published between 1938-41, as regional conflicts eventually ignited into World War II. Only 39 were ever issued; the last 29 were edited by Maekawa Senpan. According to the Art Gallery of New South Wales website, publication of this series was stopped by the Japanese authorities during WWII who 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.

The series title is stamped on the right margin in red, and the name of the artist’s group “Nihon Hanga Kyokai (Sen)” is stamped lower left. 

Condition: Excellent impression, color and condition. Never framed. The artist’s name has been written in pencil lower right margin, but it is not known if this was written by the artist himself. 

Literature: See British Museum website, Carnegie Museum of Art.

 Dimensions: 24.4 x 31.8 cm

SKU: SNH039