Landscape to City: A Collection of 20th Century Japanese Prints
Landscape to City: A Collection of 20th Century Japanese Prints
Narazaki Eisho (1894-1936) | Interior of the Kannon Temple at Asakusa (Asakusa Kannon-do no naido) | Showa period, 20th century
Lot Closed
November 18, 03:25 PM GMT
Estimate
1,000 - 1,500 GBP
Lot Details
Description
Narazaki Eisho (1894-1936)
Interior of the Kannon Temple at Asakusa (Asakusa Kannon-do no naido)
Showa period, 20th century
woodblock print, signed and sealed Eisho, publisher's mark to the lower left margin Hanken shoyu Watanabe Shozaburo [copyright reserved, Watanabe Shozaburo], dated Showa shichinen sangatsu jushichinichi (17 March 1932)
Vertical oban: 38.6 x 26.5 cm., 15¼ x 10½ in.
The din of visitors approaching in a riot of Western dress and boldly patterned kimono is almost audible inside the Asakusa Kannon Temple. Large oviform and cylindrical lanterns are suspended from the large wooden beams supporting the temple’s roof structure. The hustle of worshippers is accented by the fluttering and coos of pigeons flocking. Narazaki adeptly evokes the sights, sounds and smells of this old wood interior adorned with votive plaques sheltered from the daylight which only just partially filters through the inner hall.
Narazaki was a professional copper-plate printer employed in the official government engraving office. He produced a number of prints for Watanabe Shozaburo (1885-1962) during the 1920s. Although shin-hanga tends towards quiet scenes of a vacant tranquility, here Narazaki’s portrayal of the much-visited temple is a notable foil to convention.
For an impression of a later edition (lacking date and with circular Watanabe seal) of the same print in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, accession number 50.2848, go to: