Takeda Yoshihei: Yabakei Valley in Oita (SOLD)

Artist: Takeda Yoshihei (1892-1989)
Date: 1940
Yabakei (Oita). We see a lone traveler heading into what must be the famous Blue Tunnel (Ao-no-domon) in the Yabakei Gorge, which was first dug by a Buddhist monk by hand to prevent travelers from falling to their deaths on the steep cliffs. The series title is stamped in the upper right margin. There are 39 known prints in a planned series of one hundred.  Takeda Yoshihei first trained at Yamamoto Kanei’s Farmers Art Academy in Shinsu, and he eventually taught printmaking in Oita. The works had a limited edition of 150 prints each. The series stopped being made in 1941, most certainly due to the war.

SKU: TKC011S