Monthly Archives: April 2011

Of Men and Umbrellas – Kasa-obake in Hirosada’s Woodblock Print

Posted on April 29, 2011 by toshidama

What a fantastic image we have here. Who is it, what is it, what does it mean? At first glance I suppose that this looks like a diffident man poking his head through the battered sides of a Japanese parasol. … Continue reading →

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Cezanne and Hokusai and the Mountainous Motif

Posted on April 29, 2011 by toshidama

Here are two great artists of the nineteenth century – innovators, visionaries and both of them artists of great influence. Both Hokusai and Cezanne have in different ways exerted huge influence over the course of art, certainly in the west … Continue reading →

Posted in Cezanne, Floating World, Hokusai, Japanese Art, Japanese Art Gallery, Japanese prints, japanese woodblock prints, Toshidama Gallery., ukiyo-e art | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Giant Spiders – Obscure Meanings in Japanese Prints Part I

Posted on April 20, 2011 by toshidama

Arachnophobes – which I’m afraid includes me! – should look away now. Ukiyo-e is littered with the corpses and the dripping fangs of over-sized and fantastical spiders. Something one notices immediately is how similar they all look and also how … Continue reading →

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Spring, Ukiyo-e and Cherry Blossom

Posted on April 17, 2011 by toshidama

There’s no mistaking spring here in the UK. As pictured, we have our own cherry blossom right outside the window and I should be contemplating the transience and the beauty of life and its sudden passing or mono no aware … Continue reading →

Posted in Asian Art, Floating World, Hiroshige, Japanese Art, Japanese Art Gallery, Japanese prints, japanese woodblock prints, kabuki theatre, Kunichika, Kunisada, Toshidama Gallery., ukiyo-e art | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Printed Road – The Tokaido in Japanese Prints

Posted on April 6, 2011 by toshidama

When you first start looking at ukiyo-e you almost immediately come across a reference to the famous Tokaido Road. This great highway runs 303 miles from the old capital of Kyoto to what is now Tokyo and for centuries has … Continue reading →

Posted in Asian Art, Floating World, Hiroshige, Japanese Art, Japanese Art Gallery, Japanese prints, japanese woodblock prints, Kunisada, Toshidama Gallery., ukiyo-e art | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Care of Japanese Prints

Posted on April 5, 2011 by toshidama

It’s important to know what to do with prints when you buy them; these are after all rare and valuable things and a long term investment. People collect ukiyo-e for a variety of reasons; some are collectors with a real … Continue reading →

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