Catalogue - Sōsaku-Hanga

Portrait of Kawabata Yasunari, 1974

Junʼichirō Sekino
準一郎關野
Japanese, 1914–1988

Portrait of Kawabata Yasunari, 1974
woodblock
Gift of Ted and Marcia Marks in memory of Emily Howe Marks
2011.30.22

Sekino grew up near his mentor Shikō Munakata, and later studied under Kōshirō Onchi (Sekino printed Onchi’s portrait of Hagiwara Sakutaro). Beyond woodblock printing, Sekino was also highly accomplished in etching and lithography, and taught at the Pratt Institute in New York and at the Tamarind Lithographic Workshop in Los Angeles. Sekino’s technical competency as a printmaker is reflected in this nuanced portrait of the Japanese novelist and short story author Kawabata Yasunari (1899-1972). Kawabata, the first Japanese recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature (1968), was admired for his spare, lyrical prose and committed to translating Japanese literature into other languages for Western audiences. Sekino realistically captures the face of his spirited subject in a broad color range, printed from a large number of blocks. Kawabata’s face emerges from a pitch-black background which perhaps alludes to the author’s death by suicide in 1972.

Hawk Woman, 1958

Shikō Munakata
志功棟方
Japanese, 1903–1975

Hawk Woman, 1958
woodcut, hand-touched with black ink
Gift of Charles Pendexter
2009.16.569

Takagari is the sport of falconry, long associated with Japanese nobility. This print depicts a female falconer who meets the gaze of the hawk resting on her right hand. Munakata consistently adhered to Buddhist and Shinto subjects, often depicting female kami (Shinto deities). Believing that the work’s origin emerged from spirit of the board, Munakata worked at a swift pace, often revising the image in the midst of the carving process. Nearsighted, he often worked with his face inches away from his sharp tools. Munakata’s unorthodox process and intense, vigorous engagement with the surface lent his public demonstrations of woodblock carving the aura of a performance. Carved with a triangular chisel, the jagged, forceful lines that compose the scene generate an active, expressionistic energy.

Fettered Hiten (飛天の柵, Hiten no shigarami), 1959

Shikō Munakata
志功棟方
Japanese, 1903–1975

Fettered Hiten (飛天の柵, Hiten no shigarami), 1959
woodblock
Gift of D. Lee Rich, P’78 ’80 and John Hubbard Rich, Jr., Class of 1939 Litt.D. 1974, P’78 ’80
2010.10.17

Shikō Munakata most frequently worked in monochrome, often depicting Buddhist subjects in his blocky, rough-cut prints. He tended to work quickly, and believed in allowing the material quality of the woodblock to come through. Munakata embraced his nationality, stating “When an artist strives for universality, for the width of universal appreciation, he ends up without depth, with only the superficial aspects of beauty. I don’t want to be universal. I deplore alien borrowings. I want my work to be purely Japanese.” In 1959 the artist visited the United States, when he likely made this image. Representing a hiten, or a heavenly being of Buddhism, this work references a sculpture at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The text on the print expresses how Munakata was moved by the hiten figure, which was weathered and aged by the many places it experienced throughout its journey.

Shibaraku, 1970

Yoshitoshi Mori
義利森
Japanese, 1898–1992

Shibaraku, 1970
woodcut
Museum Purchase
1971.35

Shibaraku translates literally as “a moment,” or “a little while.” In the context of this image, however, Yoshitoshi Mori is referring to the Shibaraku scene of the kabuki theatre, which was first developed in the late seventeenth century. In this specific, iconic scene, a hero comes to the rescue of a group of people threatened by an evil character. Over time, the spectacular makeup, grandiose costumes, and dramatic poses of the scene have come to represent the kabuki theatre itself. In Mori’s Shibaraku, the artist’s playful style and distinctive stencil technique are used to represent the actor at the climax of the drama, his hair and costume sweeping behind him to lend a sense of action to the print. Mori started working as a full-time printmaker in his sixties, often borrowing subjects from his past work with the Japanese folk art movement. Festivals, kabuki actors, artisans, and characters from historic literature were among his favored topics.

Rooftops of Nagoya, 1963

Junʼichirō Sekino
準一郎關野
Japanese, 1914–1988

Rooftops of Nagoya, 1963
Woodblock
Gift of D. Lee Rich, P’78 ’80 and John Hubbard Rich, Jr., Class of 1939 Litt.D. 1974, P’78 ’80
2010.10.16

Junichirō Sekino was a largely self-taught artist whose fame brought him to the United States as a teacher of woodblock printing in the 1950s and 60s. Sekino was best known as a skilled portraitist (see his Portrait of Kawabata Yasunari nearby), yet he also created images of the theatre, the natural world, and landscapes, some of which he based on Utagawa Hiroshige’s Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido Road. Sekino’s images of architecture that he carved in response to the famous series from the 1830s are similar to this work. The flat areas of color and differing textures in Rooftops of Nagoya show the artist’s affinity for geometric shapes and repetitive patterns. As with many of his prints, Sekino uses an economy of design to reduce a city view to near abstraction.

Wall of Kyoto, 1960

Kiyoshi Saitō
清斎藤
Japanese, 1907–1997

Wall of Kyoto, 1960
woodblock
Gift of Ted and Marcia Marks
2015.34.23

Built in 1591 at the behest of the warrior Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the Wall of Kyoto was one of many reconstruction efforts after years of war. It proved to be a very weak defense. By contrast, Saitō’s abstract representation of the wall creates a strong visual obstruction through its constrained view, making the subject of this print ambiguous and mysterious. The composition harmonizes geometric division of space with the contrast of smooth and grainy texture, flattening architectural space into an abstraction. The neutral tones of black, grey, and dark red allow the print’s pebbly and grained texture to come into view as a primary feature. The dark colors of the wall suggest an inherently mysterious time of day—perhaps dusk—as the wall is still visible but casts heavy shadows. As in other prints, Saitō weds European-inspired modern abstraction with Japanese-inspired areas of flat color, an articulation of the contemporary relevance of his historic surroundings.
C.G.

Biyakugo-Ji, Nara 70’ (A), 1970

Kiyoshi Saitō
清斎藤
Japanese, 1907–1997

Biyakugo-Ji, Nara 70’ (A), 1970
woodblock
Gift of Ted and Marcia Marks in memory of Emily Howe Marks
2011.30.19

This print represents the region outside the Biyakugo-ji Buddhist temple in Nara, Japan. This temple was devoted to a new Buddhist sect of the Kamakura period (1185-1333). While old Buddhist temples occupied the city center, the new temples existed outside of it. The linear perspective of this work directs the viewer’s gaze down the alley and into the enclave in the corner, leading the viewer to visually walk down the path. The straight lines that form the architectural structures contrast with the heavy, curved branch that hovers over the structures. The dark tone and meandering composition channels Saito’s personal associations of distance, loss, and abandonment with Buddhist temples: in his youth he was forced to live in a Buddhist temple when his mother passed away.
C.G.

Sakuradamon, Tokyo, 1964

Kiyoshi Saitō
清斎藤
Japanese, 1907–1997

Sakuradamon, Tokyo, 1964
woodblock
Gift of Ted and Marcia Marks in memory of Emily Howe Marks
2011.30.18

Sakuradamon, Tokyo illustrates one of the gates of the Edo Castle, part of the historic fortification that was first constructed in the 15^th century. In 1860 this was the site of the assassination of Ii Naosuke, a powerful political figure, by anti-government protesters who opposed the treaty to open up trade with the West. Saitō channels cultural tensions of his own time between Asian and Western influences through a range of aesthetic decisions. Compositionally, he manipulates the landscape by constraining space and uses a top-down perspective in order to collapse foreground and background into a single plane. The dark and earthy hues and embossed texture are used to fill in simple, abstract shapes that form the scene. The vast space of the gate’s exterior contrasted with the compressed interior creates a sense of distance, evoking feelings of longing and nostalgia. Through the abstraction of this landscape, Saitō connects his conflicted artistic identity with the historical and cultural clash of the landscape.

C.G.

Portrait of a Poet; Hagiwara Sakutaro, 1959

Kōshirō Onchi
孝四郎恩地
Japanese, 1891–1955

Portrait of a Poet; Hagiwara Sakutaro, printed 1959 (by Koichi Hirai using memorial blocks)
woodblock
Gift of Ted and Marcia Marks in memory of Emily Howe Marks
2011.30.14

Onchi knew the subject of this widely acclaimed portrait, the poet Hagiwara Sakutaro, both professionally and personally. The print was produced in an edition of only two during World War II, when many artists, including Hagiwara, were struggling for survival in pursuit of their art. Onchi’s style is generally abstract with the exception of portraits, which, he argued, “have to be realistic.” Based on a photograph, the work renders deep wrinkles, sagging creases, and disheveled hair. Onchi conveys the despair of Hagiwara’s personal life and the strain of living in wartime Japan with disturbing intensity. During the Occupation of Japan from 1945-1952, when foreign interest in Japanese prints grew rapidly, the portrait rose to fame as one of the symbols of the growing relationship between Japan and the Euro-American world. To meet the demand of Western collectors, the portrait was re-printed by others with Onchi’s permission and was widely displayed in museums outside Japan.
C.C.

Poem “Winter,” 1953

Kōshirō Onchi
孝四郎恩地
Japanese, 1891–1955

Poem “Winter,” 1953
print on paper
Gift of D. Lee Rich, P’78 ’80 and John Hubbard Rich, Jr., Class of 1939 Litt.D. 1974, P’78 ’80
2010.10.22

Poem “Winter” is representative of Onchi’s progressive, avant-garde approach to printmaking. Deeply influenced by the “new” artistic styles from Europe and the United States that he saw in reproductions, Onchi became well-known for his innovative use of unconventional printing materials such as string, leaves, wire mesh, cardboard, textiles, charcoal, and even the fins of fish. While the exact medium of Poem “Winter” is unknown, scholars of Onchi’s work speculate that charcoal, among other materials, was used to create an effect of ambiguity. This abstract print was likely part of a series called “Poems,” which coupled images with poetry. Onchi was a dedicated poet as well as a printmaker; his verses were often free in form, written in the same elusive style that characterized his enigmatic visual compositions.

C.C.

Noh, 1977

Naoko Matsubara
直子松原
Japanese, born 1937

Noh, 1977
woodblock on paper
Gift of Ted and Marcia Marks in memory of Emily Howe Marks
2011.30.11

This expressionist print renders the experience of Nōh drama in two-dimensional form. Nōh is one of the oldest types of performance in Japan, dating back to the 14th century. Matsubara hails from the historic capital Kyoto, where Nōh originated and is still flourishing. As a Japanese artist living abroad, Matsubara saw the city’s historic and tradition-infused character reflected in Nōh drama. One of its key aspects is the moment of yugen, a dramatic pause that reveals the true character of the actor. The natural rhythm and slow movement of Nōh inspires Matsubara’s own technique. Bold, thick, and rough lines are used to create a dramatic, dynamic effect. Bold shapes and monochromatic coloring evoke a singular, abstract gesture, revealing the expression of the actor at this moment. In this stillness, Matsubara captures the essence of Nōh drama.
C.G.

Self-Portrait, 1968

Naoko Matsubara
直子松原
Japanese, born 1937

Self-Portrait, 1968
woodblock on paper
Gift of D. Lee Rich, P’78 ’80 and John Hubbard Rich, Jr., Class of 1939 Litt.D. 1974, P’78 ’80
2010.10.31

Reflecting her transnational cultural heritage as a Japanese-Canadian, Matsubara combines the traditional Japanese medium of woodblock print with the modernist technique of abstraction to present a harmonic balance. Japanese and Euro-American aesthetics mutually inform the print’s elongated shape, angular form, and expressive line. Matsubara precisely carves out negative space to create balance in the composition. The work’s monochromatic coloring alludes to 17th century ukiyo-e prints that inspired the artist, while blocky geometric abstraction channels Euro-American Expressionism. In contrast to traditional ukiyo-e prints, which typically depicted beautiful, idealized women, Matsubara’s self-portrait re-writes the female subject not as a sexualized figure but rather as a strong, independent woman who acknowledges no fixed cultural or gendered identities.
C.G.

Picture of a Street in Gion, Kyoto, 1976

Kan Kawada
幹川田
Japanese, 1924–1999

Picture of a Street in Gion, Kyoto, 1976
color woodcut
Gift of Susan and James Carter
2013.1.3

In Kyoto’s Gion neighborhood, a famous geisha district, the traditions of late-Edo period nightlife live on. Kawada uses two-point perspective to accentuate the length of the Gion’s ancient winding streets lined with countless wooden merchant homes in the traditional machiya style. Kawada’s striking red sky and the shuttered storefronts portray a scene bathed in the first warm rays of dawn or the fading light of dusk. Kawada, who graduated from the prestigious Ochanomizu Bunka Gakuin Art Institute in Tokyo, is notable for using stencils. A master stencil, colored black, provides structure while additional stencils add colors (in this case, natural pigments). As in Kawada’s other works, a light “dusting” of ink adds texture to the road, and multiple shades of black ink create shadows on black architectural features. The prominent power lines compete with a Buddhist pagoda, spoiling the impression of a neighborhood completely untouched by the passage of time.
H.T.

Interior, 1976

Kan Kawada
幹川田
Japanese, 1924–1999

Interior, 1976
stencil on paper
Gift of Ted and Marcia Marks in memory of Emily Howe Marks
2011.30.6

Kawada studied with Serizawa Keisuke, one of the great masters of the katazome stencil dying process, which used paper stencils to create decorative fabrics with bold colors and complex patterns. The sharp lines of the tatami mats lining the floor and the treatment of the wooden grilles covering the windows in Kawada’s Interior are evocative of these paper cutouts. Kawada perfected pictorial perspective, achieving a high degree of accuracy. His representation of structural forms as large intersecting blocks of color emphasizes the strength of the thick cypress beam construction typical of Late-Edo period homes such as this Kusakabe House from the 1860’s. Once the home of a family of Edo-period Japanese merchants, this entry room is adorned with traditional accents. Archetypical antique features, such as a daidokoro sunken hearth and a small Shinto shrine, speak to the long cultural history of Japan still present during the rapid modernization of the 1970s.
H.T.

Monkey Bridge, 1956

Un’ichi Hiratsuka
運一平塚
Japanese, 1895–1997

Monkey Bridge, 1956
woodblock
Gift of D. Lee Rich, P’78 ’80 and John Hubbard Rich, Jr., Class of 1939 Litt.D. 1974, P’78 ’80
2010.10.1

While many prints depict the famous Monkey Bridge from a distance, Hiratsuka reveals the clever cantilevered design of the bridge’s underside close-up. Inspired by the image of monkeys holding hands to cross the river, the wooden Monkey Bridge is a 1,300-year-old architectural feat that spans two high cliffs flanking the Katsura River in Yamanashi prefecture in central Japan. Monkey Bridge displays Hiratsuka’s well-known style—powerful, jagged lines—that suggests the revered landmark’s strength. Hiratsuka preferred black and white, which he argued were more beautiful than colors, and appreciated both their bold contrast and the solitary strength of black ink. Evident in this print is Hiratsuka’s technique of tsuki-bori (literally called “poking carving”), which employed a square-tip tool rocked from side to side to create a jagged line.
C.C.

Matsue Birthplace, 1947

Un’ichi Hiratsuka
運一平塚
Japanese, 1895–1997

Matsue Birthplace, 1947
woodblock
Gift of D. Lee Rich, P’78 ’80 and John Hubbard Rich, Jr., Class of 1939 Litt.D. 1974, P’78 ’80
2010.10.35

Hiratsuka, who is better known for black-and-white prints, rendered his hometown Matsue in a warm array of colors. In this early work he used v-shaped knives to carve smooth, fine lines that precisely delineate the landscape. In this print, sunrays and dappled green leaves on an avenue make palpable Hiratsuka’s appreciation of his birthplace, its regional history, and the greater natural world. It is perhaps not entirely free of nostalgia. Matsue, a quiet town on the country’s northwestern coast, was once a lively center of trade with Korea and China. The nearby town of Izumo hosts one of Japan’s oldest and most admired Shinto shrines, built from unpainted wood. Hiratsuka’s affinity for wood started at a young age: his grandfather was an architect and his father a lumber dealer. Through his work, Hiratsuka honors the Shinto principle of spirituality in nature, which is evident in the earthy appeal of Matsue Birthplace.
C.C.

Joy of the Mountain, 1957

Umetarō Azechi
梅太郎畦地
Japanese, 1902-1999

Joy of the Mountain, 1957
woodblock
Gift of Ted and Marcia Marks
2015.34.1

Born into a family of farmers on the island of Shikoku, Azechi was a largely self-taught artist who cultivated a highly individual style. After moving to Tokyo in the 1920s, he joined sōsaku-hanga through Un’ichi Hiratsuka (exhibited diagonally across the room), a leader of the movement. By the 1940s Azechi had established his signature aesthetic of deep earthy pigments and blocky “primitive” forms. In the postwar period, Azechi devoted himself to alpine climbing. Japan’s mountain peaks inspired many of his works. The intense rush of the ascent and the rewarding thrill of reaching a summit are revealed through the figure’s toothy smile and face, tanned by years of exposure to the bright sun of the mountains. The strongly textured pattern of the ice axe references the rough surface of the wooden matrix. The recurring motif of a man with bird in hand implies a personal connection with nature, also channeled through Azechi’s love of climbing—and his art.
H.T.

Imagination on the Winter Mountain, 1962

Umetarō Azechi
梅太郎畦地
Japanese, 1902-1999

Imagination on the Winter Mountain, 1962
woodblock
Gift of Ted and Marcia Marks in memory of Emily Howe Marks
2011.30.2

Azechi’s print is an unconventional expression of the artist’s love for the mountains, one of his favorite subjects. Almost abstract, it reflects the non-representational qualities of sōsaku-hanga and is characteristic of a shift in Azechi’s work that began in the 1950s, as he responded to the influence of his contemporaries in Japan and abroad. His compositions typically reduce a subject to contours and dominant colors; in Imagination, some of the boundaries of form and line are dissolved as well, leaving color as the primary vehicle of meaning. A narrow palette evokes the essential elements of the mountains from which Azechi draws inspiration: the blues and whites of ice and snow, the deep charcoal shades of weathered stone, and the soft greys of cloud cover.

H.T.

Portrait of Kawabata Yasunari, 1974

Hawk Woman, 1958

Fettered Hiten (飛天の柵, Hiten no shigarami), 1959

Shibaraku, 1970

Rooftops of Nagoya, 1963

Wall of Kyoto, 1960

Biyakugo-Ji, Nara 70’ (A), 1970

Sakuradamon, Tokyo, 1964

Portrait of a Poet; Hagiwara Sakutaro, 1959

Poem “Winter,” 1953

Noh, 1977

Self-Portrait, 1968

Picture of a Street in Gion, Kyoto, 1976

Interior, 1976

Monkey Bridge, 1956

Matsue Birthplace, 1947

Joy of the Mountain, 1957

Imagination on the Winter Mountain, 1962

Bowdoin College Museum of Art

Bowdoin College – Brunswick, ME