Category Archives: Japanese Art

A Japanese Inspired Poster by Annie Offterdinger

Posted on June 29, 2020 by toshidama

I was very struck recently by a book of original Art Deco designs that came up at auction, one of which was a fashion plate, or poster by a less known German illustrator, Annie Offterdinger. What struck me so much … Continue reading →

Posted in Japanese Art, japanese woodblock prints, Kunichika, Paul Gauguin, ukiyo-e | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Portrait of Ichimura Uzaemon XIII

Posted on May 8, 2020 by toshidama

On these pages are some light hearted guides to the villains and heroes of the kabuki stage. We’re calling them ‘Kabuki All-stars’. The current exhibition at the Toshidama Gallery called Ten Artists of the Floating World, features twenty three prints … Continue reading →

Posted in Hiroshige, Japanese Art, Japanese prints, japanese woodblock prints, kabuki theatre, Kunisada, ukiyo-e, ukiyo-e art, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Jasper Johns: Skin and Oshiguma

Posted on May 6, 2020 by toshidama

The print pictured above is by the outstanding American artist Jasper Johns. The print was made by Johns coating his skin with oil and then impressing his face and hands onto a sensitised litho plate. Charcoal was rubbed onto the … Continue reading →

Posted in Ichikawa Danjuro, Japanese Art, Japanese prints, Jasper Johns, kabuki theatre, Kunisada, Pop Art, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Kabuki All-Stars #5 Nikki Danjo

Posted on April 22, 2020 by toshidama

Download this Nikki Danjo Kabuki card as a PDF by clicking this link.

Posted in Japanese Art, Japanese prints, japanese woodblock prints, kabuki theatre, Meiji Art, Toshidama Gallery. | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Kabuki All-Stars #3 Benkei

Posted on April 20, 2020 by toshidama

To download this Benkei Kabuki card as a PDF, click this link.

Posted in Edo, Floating World, Japanese Art, japanese woodblock prints, kabuki theatre, Tokugawa Clan, Toshidama Gallery. | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Where are the Shadows in Japanese Prints

Posted on November 21, 2019 by toshidama

Utagawa Kunisada/Toyokuni III (1786-1865) Tokaido Yotsuya Kaidan, 1831. An unusual feature of Japanese woodblock prints, one often overlooked by experts and by the casual ‘reader’, is the unsettling absence of shadows. In western drawing and painting shadows form the very … Continue reading →

Posted in ghosts, Japanese Art, Japanese prints, japanese woodblock prints, kabuki theatre, ukiyo-e, Uncategorized, Utagawa Yoshikazu, Woodblock print | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bandits and Warlords. Fighting men in Japanese prints.

Posted on September 27, 2019 by toshidama

The Toshidama Gallery is showing a collection of prints featuring aggressive and violent folk heroes and warlords. The selection looks at how the populace of Edo expressed their frustration with the government and with the increasingly corrupt samurai class. As … Continue reading →

Posted in Asian Art, Floating World, Japanese Art, Japanese gangster, Japanese prints, japanese woodblock prints, kabuki theatre, Kunisada, Kuniyoshi, Male Tragedy, Otokodate, Suikoden, yoshitoshi | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sugoroku Magic – Shimidzu no Kwanja Yoshitaka

Posted on July 30, 2019 by toshidama

What a spendid rat! The magician riding along here is not Nikki Danjo – the great kabuki villain who transforms into a rat in order to steal a valuable scroll – this chap is Shimidzu no Kwanja Yoshitaka. He was … Continue reading →

Posted in Edo, Floating World, Japanese Art, Japanese prints, japanese woodblock prints, kabuki theatre, Kunichika, Magical, supernatural Japanese print, Toshidama Gallery. | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Sugoroku Magic – Jiraiya

Posted on July 25, 2019 by toshidama

A series of magicians and ghosts all taken from squares on a nineteenth century sugoroku board by the artist Kunichika Continue reading →

Posted in Asian Art, Edo, Floating World, Japanese Art, kabuki theatre, Kunichika, Kunisada, Magical, Sugoroku, Toshidama Gallery., ukiyo-e, ukiyo-e art | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Collecting Japanese Woodblock Prints

Posted on June 23, 2019 by toshidama

Prints From the collection of Ruth Muschel and Gillies McKenna at Wolfson College, Oxford. We attended the opening of an exhibition of Japanese prints from the private collection of ukiyo-e belonging to Ruth Muschel and Gillies McKenna at Wolfson College, … Continue reading →

Posted in Art Collector, Floating World, Hiroshige, Japanese Art, Japanese prints, japanese woodblock prints, Kunisada, Kuniyoshi, ukiyo-e, ukiyo-e art, Uncategorized | Leave a comment