Katsushika Hokusai’s woodblock diptych, “Morning Glory”, 1878

Katsushika Hokusai (葛飾 北斎) (1760–1849)

“Morning Glory” (descriptive title only), 1878, diptych of colour woodblock pints of pages 44 and 45 from volume 15 in the series of fifteen volumes of Hokusai’s “Manga Jūgohen” (北斎漫画, 十五編), compiled by Katano Tōshirō (片野東四郎編輯) and published in Nagoya by Eirakuya Tōshirō (永楽屋東四郎) (fl.1813–1842) (see https://pulverer.si.edu/node/774/title/1  & https://pulverer.si.edu/node/774/title/1/23).

Two individual colour woodblock panels abutted to create a diptych printed in black, grey and light vermilion ink on fine washi paper laid upon a support sheet.

Size: (2 abutted sheets) 22.7 x 25.5 cm.

The British Museum offers a description of the volume in which this print features (vol. 15) as well as a online view of all the prints on thirty folded sheets (cho): https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/A_1979-0305-0-428-14.

Condition: delicate/pale impressions trimmed so that they may be abutted without a gap (but showing the superimposition of the left sheet over the right sheet), laid onto a support of archival (millennium quality) washi paper. Beyond a faint stain on the left panel, the diptych is in a good condition with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions, significant stains or foxing—note that some naturally occurring darker fibres in the paper are visible.

I am selling this diptych of original colour woodblock prints by Hokusai featuring the vine and flowers of the common and very beautiful Morning Glory (Ipomoea purpurea) for the total cost of AU$252 (currently US$184.37/EUR170.27/GBP142.21 at the time of this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world, but not (of course) any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries.

If you are interested in purchasing this quietly beautiful woodblock print by the almost legendary Hokusai, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

Katsushika Hokusai’s woodblock, “Full Moon”, (publ.) 1820/49

Katsushika Hokusai (葛飾 北斎) (1760–1849)

“Full Moon” (descriptive title only), c1840, woodcut first published in monochrome in 1820 in Nagoya by Eirakuya Tōshirō 永楽屋東四郎 (fl.1813–1842) in the single volume of Hokusai soga 北斎麁画 as illustration to page 59 (see https://pulverer.si.edu/node/302/title/1/30). The woodcut was later published in 1849 in colour (as seen in this impression) in Nagoya by Eirakuya Tōshirō and Izumiya Ichibei 和泉屋市兵衛 (Kanseidō) in volume 1 (of 3) in Hokusai gafu 北斎画譜 as illustration to page 42 (see https://pulverer.si.edu/node/310/title/1/22).

Pulverer offers an online view of this print in its two published contexts with description and commentary: https://pulverer.si.edu/node/302/title/1 & https://pulverer.si.edu/node/310/title/1.

Colour woodblock printed in black, blue (and a pale orange-pink?) ink on fine washi paper laid upon a support sheet.

Size: (support sheet) 33 x 23.8 cm; (sheet) 22.6 x 14.7 cm; (image borderline) 19 x 13 cm.

Condition: an impression from slightly worn plates with pale stains in the lower right margin, flattened printer’s creases at upper left and surface handling marks. The sheet has been laid onto a support of archival (millennium quality) washi paper.

I am selling this very poetic original colour woodblock by Hokusai showing what I assume may be a plum tree—note that under magnification there seems to be pale pink growth (buds and flowers?) at the ends of some of the gnarly twigs—silhouetted against a full moon, for the total cost of AU$237 (currently US$175.15/EUR158.75/GBP133.27 at the time of this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world, but not (of course) any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries.

If you are interested in purchasing this quietly beautiful woodblock print by the almost legendary Hokusai, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

This print has been sold

Katsushika Hokusai’s woodblock prints, “Dragon” & “Two Phoenixes”, 1815

Katsushika Hokusai (葛飾 北斎) (1760–1849)

“Dragon” & “Two Phoenixes”, 1815, two woodblock illustrations from "Hokusai's Sketches" (北斎漫画) (aka “Hokusai Manga”; “Ten Thousand Sketches by Hokusai: Ehon”), vol. 2, (right plate) page 5 and (left plate) page 6, published in Nagoyaby by Eirakuya Tōshirō (永楽屋東四郎) (fl.1813–1842) (see http://pulverer.si.edu/node/663/title/2).

Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery offers the following details about the volume in which this pair of woodblock plates feature:

“Volume II from Hokusai's set of Manga, intended as primers for aspiring artists. In this series of 15 volumes, designed from around 1813 through his final years, Hokusai produced a veritable pictorial encyclopedia of Far Eastern life and legend. The series was originally intended as a set of copybooks for art students but soon made the artist's name known throughout Japan and, eventually, throughout the world. Volume II includes 50 illustrations with black, blue and orange inks. Depicts people, landscapes, birds, animals, bugs, and plants. Page 1 and 2 are text. 53 pages” (https://web-kiosk.scrippscollege.edu/objects-1/info/20397).

Two woodblock prints printed in three colours (black, grey and pale flesh/orange) on a single sheet of washi paper with centre fold and margins as published (but without the binding edges).

Size: (sheet) 24 x 28.6 cm; (image borderline) 17.7 x 25.5 cm.

Condition: well-printed impressions showing no sign of wear to the printing plate in excellent/near pristine condition with no tears, holes, abrasions, stains, foxing or signs of handling.

I am selling this sheet of woodblock prints featuring an airborne dragon and a pair of phoenixes by one of the most famous of the Japanese printmakers, for the total cost of [deleted] at the time of this listing) including Express Mail (EMS) postage and handling to anywhere in the world, but not (of course) any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries.

If you are interested in purchasing this superb leaf of original woodblock prints by the almost legendary Hokusai, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

This pair of prints has been sold