Description:

"KABUKI DRAMA" JAPANESE WOODBLOCK PRINTS BY UCHIDA
Complete set of twelve Japanese woodblock prints, each 10" x 11 1/2" and mounted in a 13 1/2" x 15" mat, by HASEGAWA SADANOBU III (1881-1963), and published by the Uchida company in Kyoto in 1952. Each beautifully colored print depicts a scene from a notable play in the Japanese Kabuki theater repertoire, and shows the specific costumes and makeup patterns used by each character to demonstrate their role within the play, against lush backdrops representative of the staging and scenery. The works depicted include: "The Loyal League of Forty-Seven Men" (better known as "The 47 Ronin"), "The Exile of Michizane Sugawara", and "The Tale of the Battle of Ichinotani". Each print includes a short caption in kanji and Hasegawa's printed signature. Also present with the set is an explanatory booklet, printed in English, 20pp. 8vo., with a color woodblock print of a solo performer executing a dance signifying the opening of a play. The booklet gives a short explanation of the history and traditions of Kabuki, and a synopsis of each play and the particular scene depicted in each print. The entire set is housed in a colored paperboard folder with the title in kanji on the cover, a publisher's label within, and secured by purple silk ties. The verso of each print bears a number indicating its position in the set, a blue ink inscription, in English, giving the title of the play, and a black ink "SAMPLE" stamp. These prints were salesman's samples acquired by a U.S. Marine Corps veteran named Thomas Hood, who sold these prints in the eastern United States on behalf of Uchida. These are excellent examples of "Shin hanga" prints, which were produced under the direction of publishers such as Uchida specifically to appeal to Western tastes and romantic ideas about Japan. Some minor toning, slight chipping to the folder, else very good.

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November 17, 2016 11:00 AM EST
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

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