Japanese Woodcut Print Titled “Bamboo in Early Summer”

Japanese Shin Hanga Woodcut Print - "Bamboo in Early Summer"
Photo Credit: Edokura-Antiques-and-Arts

Japanese Shin Hanga Woodcut Print Titled "Bamboo in Early Summer"

Buy It Now Price: $119 (price as of 2017; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This is a wonderful vintage Japanese Shin Hanga woodcut print by the artist Shiro Kasamatsu titled "Bamboo in Early Summer".

-It is a large, oban-sized woodblock print, measuring 16 inches (40.6 cm) by 10.75 inches (27.3 cm).

-Shin hanga was an early to mid 20th century Japanese print movement that combined traditional Japanese themes with groundbreaking Western artistic understanding of light and perspective.  It was an export-oriented artistic movement that was wildly popular in the West in the period between World War I and World War II.  Even today, shin hanga prints possess an attractive, unmistakably modern quality.

-Shiro Kasamatsu (born 1898; died 1991) was a renowned and prolific Japanese printmaker.  He became an artist's apprentice in 1911 and began printmaking in 1919.  He embraced the popular Shin Hanga style early in his career, but switched over to the naïve, self-published Sosaku Hanga style starting in the 1950s.

-This specimen of "Bamboo in Early Summer" is in very good condition, with full margins and no apparent creases, foxing or stains.

-The reverse of this woodblock print has a little ink bleed-through.  This characteristic proves the piece is a genuine woodblock print produced in the traditional way and not a reproduction created via a modern printing technique.

-Bamboo in Early Summer is an atmospheric and evocative work that showcases some of the best attributes of the Japanese Shin Hanga style as executed by Shiro Kasamatsu.  I feel that the buy it now price of $119 is very reasonable and creates the possibility of future price appreciation.

 

Other Vintage Japanese Woodcut Prints

Cons:

-Although "Bamboo in Early Summer" was first printed in 1954, this example is a Heisei era (later) reprint from the 1990s.  While not an original, first edition print, Heisei reprints employed the original woodblock carvings and traditional printing techniques.  However, an original example of this print would be far more valuable than a reprint.

-Some experts in Japanese woodblock prints do not think that reprints will appreciate in value in the future.  I disagree, as there are only a limited number of reprints that can be made from a set of woodblock carvings before they are completely worn out.  Reprints using recarved woodblocks are another story, and should be avoided for anything other than decorative purposes.

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