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Kinutagai, “The Fulling Block Shell” from the series: Genroku Kasen kaiawase, “A Matching Game with the Genroku Poem Shells.” ( An anthology published in 1689. ) A collection of verses with pictures designed by Hokusai printed on 36 sheets. Commissioned by the Yomogawa poetry group for the New Year 1821, Year of the Snake. Shows two women at a fulling block beating down scrap paper to pulp to remake into sheets. In the background a boy is stirring the pulp in a basket in a stream. One of the two best known Hokusai surimono sets. Rare.

Fine impression, very good colour with gold and silver. Minor marks and signs of mounting au verso, otherwise very good condition. Signed Getchirojin I itsu hitsu, “Moonstruck Old Man, Iitsu.”

Status: Sold

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Sakuragai, “The Cherry Blossom Shell” from the series: Genroku Kasen kaiawase, “A Matching Game with the Genroku Poem Shells.” ( An anthology published in 1689. ) A collection of verses with pictures designed by Hokusai printed on 36 sheets. Commissioned by the Yomogawa poetry group for the New Year 1821, Year of the Snake. Shows travellers on the way to Narita Fudo, the Shinshoji at Naritasan. One of the two best known Hokusai surimono sets. Rare.

Fine impression and colour with gold and silver. Minor marks, otherwise fine condition. Signed Getchirojin I itsu hitsu, “Moonstruck Old Man, Iitsu.”

Status: Sold

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A rare surimono from a series Soramitsuyaren wakan buyu awase samban no uchi, “Japanese and Chinese Heroes for the Soramitsuya Circle.” ( A club named after its leader Soramitsuya Maeda. ) Shows Benkei in a tug-of-war with a Chinese beauty ( possibly Kosanjo according to Keyes ). Poems by Maeda, Magara and Komichi. Published 1820. Two other impressions illustrated in the Spencer Museum of Art, Surimono, Roger Keyes, Kodansha, 1984, no. 26, p. 74 ( catalogue no 110 ) and the Peter Morse collection catalogue, Ota Memorial Museum of Art, 1988, no. 184.

Fine impression, colour and condition. Extensive gold and silver. Signed Hokusai Taito aratame Katsushika Iitsu hitsu.

Status: Sold

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A rare surimono from the series Umazukushi, “A Series of Horses” published 1822 ( Year of the Horse ). Shows the banks of the Sumida river, Komatomeishi, with the stone used for tethering horses bottom centre. This surimono is one of three that form a triptych. The complete set is in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam ( 1958: 293-294-295 ) and is illustrated in Matthi Forrer, Hokusai, Rizzoli, 1988, no. 265, p. 238 and elsewhere. The other two surimono were also in the Gerhard Schack collection, illustrated in Surimono, 1970, 77-78. Ex collection H. de Winiwater ( seal top right ).

Fine impression with gold and silver. Some soil and loss of the gold. Signed Fusenkyo Iitsu no fude.

Status: Sold

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A rare long surimono complete with the attached invitation ( yokonagaban ). Mitate junidan soshi, “A Parody from Twelve Fairy Tales.” Shows Ushiwaka and prince Joruri. The invitation is to a dramatic recital with music ( joruri ) organised by Tokiwazu moji kiyo and has the names of the performers: Tokiwazu Komoji dayu; Kishizawa Koshikibu and others from the Kishizawa school. Another example ( lacking invitation ) is illustrated in Masterpieces Of Ukiyoe From The British Museum. Exhibition catalogue of collection of 300 prints from BM exhibited in Japan at Ueno Museum, Tokyo and Nara Prefectural Museum of Art, 1985, no. 194. But otherwise extremely rare as few of these prints can have been produced for this dramatic event. Sometimes the actual designs, without attachments, were reissued at a later date. An early design for Hokusai, c. 1800.

Fine impression with gauffrage. Slight fading and signs, as usual, of the foldmarks on the invitation: These invites were folded three times – once horizontally and twice vertically to form a neat packet. Otherwise very good condition. Signed Gakyojin Hokusai ga.

Status: Sold

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An exceptionally rare and very unusual koban surimono showing two onnagata actors. The only other recorded impression seems to be in Hokusai, Gian Carlo Calza, Electa, 1999, plate III.57. That has the months on the title slip of book for 1803 (and a poem top left). So this is an egoyomi and my impression must be either a proof or the first issue (same as Harunobu prints issued first without date, then with).

Very fine impression and colour. Signed Gakyojin Hokusai ga.

Status: Sold