Japanese Woodblock Print entitled: Bamboo in Early Summer (初夏の竹), by Kasamatsu, Shirō

Dimensions: 14-1/2” x 9-1/2” + margins as shown

Offered is a striking shin-hanga view through a grove of bamboo as evening falls. A full moon glows softly overhead as the bamboo stalks sway gently in the wind, a warm glow coming from the lighted windows of what is reported to be Basho’s hut in the distance. Beautifully colored with a range of subdued greens and blues creating a shadowy night atmosphere. A handsome design with a lovely composition that is shown both unframed (front and back), and with archival matt in silk with a simulated bamboo frame, as it was framed shortly after being purchased 30 years ago from Daishodo Japanese Woodblock Prints, Kyoto.(NOTE: The woodblock will come framed at no additional cost for we are in the business of selling artwork and not framing. The framing which was completed  upon purchase of the woodblock has served its purpose of protecting the piece from damage from sunlight and other environmental conditions.) 

Signed - Shirō, with red "Shiro" seal 

Publisher - Unsodo, with publisher's seal in the left margin, from original woodblock.

Kasamatsu, Shiro - Born in Tokyo (1989-1991) they began studying art at a young age with the painter Kaburagi Kiyokata and is regarded as one of the top shin-hanga woodblock print artists in Japan. After the publisher saw his paintings on exhibit, he completed his first woodblock designs for Watanabe Shozaburo in 1919. Shiro designed shin-hanga prints for Watanabe for many years, becoming well-known for his romantic landscapes of famous landmarks and scenes of traditional Japanese life. From 1952 to 1960, he created more than one hundred woodblock designs for the Kyoto publisher Unsodo. He also experimented with sosaku hanga or creative prints starting in the late 1950s, carving and printing his own designs. 

Condition: Excellent meaning that the piece retains its original craft/workmanship with no issues to report. The piece is in beautiful unfaded condition and corresponds to its vintage and meets all the standards of the collectible shin-hanga woodblock print works on paper.