Tomoo Inagaki: Nagatoro (Saitama)

Artist: Tomoo Inagaki (1902-1980)

Title: Nagatoro (Saitama)  Date: 1941, June

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

We see a family enjoying a leisurely cruise down the placid Arakawa River, guide standing at the stern. They may be passing the famous Iwadatame Rocks, as we see large rock formations rising prominently on both banks in this design. Iwadatami rocks are thus named because their flat layers remind the viewer of stacked tatami mats; these rock terraces are a designated national natural monument. Nagatoro is famous for these river cruises, which still happen today in the same type of wooden boat, called a chichibu-gun. It is a small town nestled deep in the mountains of Saitama, but it is less than two hours away from Tokyo by train. This scene would look almost identical today.

Inagaki Tomoo was born in Tokyo in 1902, and began painting in oils in high school. After high school he enrolled in a commercial art school before eventually setting up his own commercial art studio in Tokyo. He is best known for his print designs of strongly stylized cats, which he began creating in 1951.

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, National Museum of Asian Art. 

 Dimensions: 25 x 33 cm

SKU: SNH020