Important Japanese woodblock prints by Harunobu, Utamaro, Kiyonaga, Hokusai and Hiroshige, among others.

Masterpieces of Ukiyo-e Prints

A young and beautiful tea-house woman sips elegantly from a glass goblet held to her lips…

Utamaro’s Glass Goblet

"From the age of six, I had a mania for drawing the form of things. By the time I was fifty, I had published an infinity of designs, but all I have produced before the age of seventy is not worth bothering with." - Hokusai

The Summit of Landscape Prints by Hokusai

Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji

Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji: The Summit of Landscape Prints by Hokusai 

Hokusai returned to the subject of bridges throughout his career. Between 1816-17, he depicted various types of bridges in the fourth volume of Hokusa’s Sketches (Hokusai manga), and also produced a large-format print One Hundred Bridges at a Glance in 1823. &nbsp;He was commissioned to make this series by his publisher Nishimuraya Yohachi in around the spring of 1834, following the success of his Tour of Waterfalls in Various Provinces (Shokoku taki-meguri) published a year earlier. The series comprises a total of eleven prints - a rather unusual number for a print series, suggesting perhaps that a print was either added to an original set of ten; or that twelve were intended and only eleven were produced. In each of the designs, the expanse of the bridges provide counterpoint to grand views of nature and a sense of wonder embellishes many of the scenes depicted. Two of the bridges were no longer extant during the time of production; using earlier material from eighteenth century gazetteers, as well as local pictures, Hokusai accentuated key features of the bridges to depict not just actual bridges, but awe-inspiring views. Many of the bridges and locales had strong literary associations, such as the Eight-plank Bridge (Yatsuhashi) of Mikawa, the semi-historical bridge that zigzagged over irises in the Tale of Ise (Ise monogatari); and the Boat Bridge at Sanno, which was made famous in the medieval Noh play of eponymous title Funabashi, or ‘Boat Bridge’.

The complete set of eleven woodblock prints from Hokusai’s Bridges series

Remarkable Views of Bridges 

Hokusai’s  Remarkable Views of Bridges in Various Provinces

Surimono [lit. printed thing], were privately issued and circulated woodblock prints with poetry and pictures. These were often richly embellished with metallic pigments, as well as other printing techniques such as delicate bokashi graduation, or embossing, and published in small print-runs with a focus on the final quality of the print. These sumptuously printed designs were often commissioned for special occasions, such as the New Year, for a close-knit literary circle.

Privately published prints for a coterie of poets and connoisseurs

The Art of Surimono 

Famous Views of the Sixty-odd Provinces marks Hiroshige’s first foray into the vertical landscape format. Comprising sixty-nine woodblock prints and a contents page, the series is noted for its extensive use of colouration, bokashi graduation and high vantage point compositions. The series of sixty-nine prints was published over a period of three years between 1853-56. After its completion, the publisher, Koshimuraya Heisuke, issued a table of contents designed and compiled by the artist Baisotei Gengyo (1817-1880) entitled Dai Nippon rokujuyoshu meisho zue, or Famous Views of the Sixty-odd Provinces of Great Japan. The prints were arranged in the conventional way with one group for the home provinces, and seven others named after the country’s main thoroughfares, such as the Tokaido and Kisokaido. This set was purchased by the collector in the 1980s and formerly belonged to the well-known American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. This collection is generally considered one of the finest sets consisting predominantly of first editions; only two examples cannot be considered as first-editions. The entire set has been published in Marije Jansen, Hiroshige's Journey in the 60-odd Provinces (Amsterdam, 2004).

Hiroshige’s Famous Views of the Sixty-odd Provinces

The Pulverer Set

The Pulverer Set: Hiroshige’s Famous Views of the Sixty-odd Provinces 

Paris

Consultant | Japanese Works of Art

Mark Hinton

Jon Adjetey

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Japanese Woodblock Prints from an Important Private Collection will be sold 6th – 13th June 2025. The online sale comprises Japanese prints from the 17th century onwards: sumizuri-e by Hishikawa Moronobu, hand-coloured urushi-e by Nishumura Shigenobu, and a large o-oban size print attributed to Torii Kiyomasu I of The Banquet of the Shutendoji, among others, are fine examples of early prints in the sale. Nishiki-e by Harunobu includes a complete set of Marriage in Brocade Prints, the Carriage of the Virtuous Woman, formerly in the collections of Hayashi Tadamasa, Adolphe Stoclet and Edith Ehrman. Actor prints by Shunsho, Shun’ei and Shunjo, as well as beauty portraits by Eishi, Eisho and Utamaro, are all represented by fine examples such as an outstanding design of a large head bust portrait (okubi-e) depicting a beauty holding a glass goblet by Utamaro. An extensive collection of surimono by artists such as Gakutei, Hokusai, Hokkei, Shinsai and Shunman featuring rare designs and comparison sets. Fine early impressions from Hokusai’s Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, and a complete set of Remarkable Views of Bridges in Various Provinces, will also be offered alongside works from the artist’s Large Flowers series.

Japanese Woodblock Prints from an Important Private European Collection