Takeda Shintaro: Hozu Valley in Summer 保津峡

Artist: Takeda Shintarô (1886-1957)

Title: Hozu Valley in Summer 保津峡 Date: 1939, August 

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

A wooden boat flying a red-striped flag is rowed down the scenic Hozu River, which begins in the mountains northwest of Kyoto. On the left bank are colorful, faceted rocks in shades of mauve, and to the right are smoother rocks lining the river, with pine forests seen retreating into the the distance. The small figures seem both dwarfed and enveloped by nature as they float along down the valley.  At this point on the river, the water is calm and smooth and the artist has skillfully indicated its ripples. One can still hire a hand-rowed boat from Kameoka and travel down the river to Arashiyama. Scarce, as are all the works from this series.

Takeda Shintarô was born in Nagano prefecture and graduated in 1913 from the Tokyo School of Fine Arts. He was a pioneer in the Kyoto Sosaku-Hanga Kyôkai and a member of the Nihon Hanga Kyôkai from 1932, and also taught in Kyoto and Nara. He was active in the 1920s promoting hanga in schools.

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” ("Selected by the Japanese Print Association") 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 for whole series, although many have no photographs. Dimensions: 25 x 32.8 cm 

Signed: Shin (in cursive Romaji)

SKU: SNH010