Gallery 3I: Yamamoto Shoun — The Christenson Collection of Miniature Japanese Woodblock Prints

Gallery 3I: Woodblock Prints by Yamamoto Shōun

Yamamoto Shōun (1870-1965) was a Japanese print designer, painter, and illustrator for the magazine Japanese Life Illustrated. The prints below are from a series of miniature landscape prints which were published by Matsuki Heikichi.

*Suijin Ferry at Mukojima.* 14.3 x 9.1 cm

*Distant View of Tsukijima*. 14.4 x 8.8 cm

*The Moon Between the Trees*. 14.4. x 8.9 cm

*The Island of Thousand Pine Trees in Rain.* Matsumoto catalog #445. C. 1910. 17.5 x 11.4 cm

Published by the Shima Art Company. 1930s. 16.2 x 10.7 cm

The design above was originally published by Matsuki Heikichi as part of the set that included the immediately preceding miniature landscapes. The print is listed as Drizzle on a River in the catalog of the exhibit Yamamoto Shoun; Beautiful Woman of the Floating World and Nostalgic Japan held at The Musuum of Art, Kochi in 2005. The print on the left was published by Matsumoto and appears in the Matsumoto Catalog as Print #445, The Island of Thousand Pine Trees in Rain. Although is has the Shoen seal, the Matsumoto Catalog attributes it erroneously to the artist Ohara Koson. The version on the right was published for the Shima Art Company, apparently in collaboration with the publisher Daikokuya. Shima Art Company is known to have reproduced print designs for sale in the US that were often adapted from pre-existing works but then misattributed to a different artist. Although this version of the print is unsigned, notations on other copies suggest that the the company misattributed the work to the 19th century artist Utagawa Hiroshige. Note that both of the prints above are slightly larger than prints from the original set.

*Catching Fireflies*. Published by the Shima Art Company. 1930s. 16.1 x 10.6 cm

The print to the left was based on Catching Fireflies by Yamamoto Shoun which was first published by Matsuki Heikichi. This copy bears the publisher seal of the Shima Art Company which is known to have had print designs reproduced for sale in the U.S. Such prints were often misattributed to an artist other than the original designer. A close comparison of this print with the original print in the gallery above reveals differences in the color palette and block carving. The signature reads Toshimoto. The original print also includes additional text in the right margin.

The print to the left is after Komeido in the Rain by Yamamoto Shoun; however, it is signed Raichiku. The print was published by the Shima Art Company which is known to have had print designs reproduced for sale in the U.S. that were often adapted from an existing work and then misattributed to a different artist.

*Moon and Pine*. Provenance: Robert O Muller Collection. 1930s. 14.4 x 9.1 cm

The print to the left is after The Moon Between the Trees by Yamamoto Shoun which was originally published by Matsuki Heikichi. This print is signed Raichiku. The print was published by the Shima Art Company which is known to have had print designs reproduced for sale in the U.S. that were often adapted from an existing work and then misattributed to a different artist. Compared to the original print in the gallery above, this print has significant modifications, particularly in the composition of the trees on both banks of the river.

*Ryogoku Fireworks.* Creped print. 12.2 x 7.2 cm

*Ryogoku Fireworks*. From an accordion book of prints published by Sakai and Co. Undated. 13.3 x 8.2 cm

The two prints to the left are adaptations of Ryogoku Fireworks by unidentified artists. Although the foreground is relatively true to the original design by Yamamoto Shoun, the backgrounds and depictions of fireworks are substantially altered.