Japanese Woodblock Print

Published by Uchida, probably in the 1950’s. 15.6 in x 10.7 in. Haunting woodblock of people walking down the famous Cedar lined road by lamplight. “Nikko suginamiki” (Cedar Tree Avenue in Nikko). Nicely framed in acid free materials, adding to the value and preserving this piece. EIICHI KOTOZUKA was Kyoto based and studied at the Kyoto Specialist School of Painting. One of four artists who founded a co-operative publishing company in the 1940’s called Koryokusha in an effort to gain an artistic expression free of the demands and guidance of the major publishing houses. During his lifetime he created an impressive number of woodblocks depicting scenes of traditional Japanese culture, flowers, landscapes and wildlife. He was a member of the Seiryusha Group of Liberal Artists and died in 1979. Kotozuka was involved in the Sosaku Hanga movement, a printing process with greater direct artist involvement. Prior to Sosaku Hanga, an artist created an illustration which would then be passed to a team of engravers, printers, and publishers who would each affect the production of the final print. In Sosaku Hanga the artist was much more directly involved with each step of the process and the original vision of the artist was more accurately conveyed. Kotozuka has not yet been properly recognized by the majority of collectors, but deserves a prominent place.