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.
The print to the left is based on a the design Drizzle on a River by Yamamoto Shoen which was originally published by Matsuki Heikichi. This version was published for the Shima Art Company apparantly 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 and misattributed to a different artist. Although this print was unsigned, notations on other copies suggest that the the company misattributed the work to Hiroshige who was long deceased at the time..
The print to the left was based on a design by Yamamoto Shoun 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 has additional text in the right margin.
The print to the left is after a design 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.
The print to the left is after the design 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.