Toshi Yoshida Original Woodblock Raicho Grouse 1930 (05/15/2011)

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Toshi Yoshida Original Woodblock Raicho Grouse 1930

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Toshi Yoshida Original Woodblock Raicho Grouse 1930

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Sold Date: 05/15/2011
Channel: Online Auction
Source: eBay
Category: Ethnic, Folk & Native American Art

For sale is an original Toshi Yoshida woodblock titled Raicho (which is Japanese for Snow Grouse). I bought it from the estate of an Air Force pilot who was stationed in Japan in the 1950s and 60s. It's pencil signed Toshi Yoshida in the lower right margin and the title "Raicho" is written in pencil in the lower left. It is an old, original woodblock (not a reprint).
It's unframed so you can see how nice the condition is. The paper is 15.75 by about 10.5 inches. The image area is Oban size, 14.75 by 9.75. This is the first woodblock that Toshi did on his own in 1930 (his father, the famous Hiroshi Yoshida) also did a version. Toshi was born in 1911 and died in 1995.
The image is very bright with good color (see the photos). I would describe it as being in very good to excellent condition, but there are a few small issues. On the top center left edge, there is what looks like a line that is a crease from the printing process I think... not damage. It's hard to see, but I tried to get a photo. There's some very slight toning along the top and left edge. And on the back there are two spots where at some point it was spot taped or glued.
It's a beautiful, original image by an excellent Japanese artist. The image shows the mother grouse along with 4 of her chicks. It has a very nice watercolor quality. It's titled along the left edge and also has the artist's seal and signature printed in the lower right corner.
There's some interesting details about the print at:
/people/kucera/YoshidaWebsite/evolution/print_pages/raicho.htm
Here's an excerpt:
The idea for this work was inspired by a trip to Mt. Hakobayari, where Toshi and his father Hiroshi encountered a mother grouse and her chicks in their campsite. Hiroshi first created a work based on this motif, which focused on both the surrounding scenery and the chicks. He composed this work under the title of Raicho and Komagusa in 1926. A few years later, Toshi followed in his father’s footsteps by creating a similar motif. Toshi created one of his earliest woodblock prints capturing a mother grouse and her chicks in 1930, based on sketches he drew during the camping trip in 1926. Toshi chose to focus the work on the protective attitude of the mother bird toward her young. This was one of the first works in which he cut most of the woodblocks by himself, and he first displayed it under the title “Ptarmigan” in the Japan Society in 1953.
If you have any questions, let me know.
I gladly ship overseas, but please be aware that some forms of shipping don't offer insurance. And, customs can delay a package for days or sometimes weeks and fees can add to your cost. Without insurance I can't be responsible for the item, but in shipping over 100 packages overseas, I've never had a problem. And, for overseas, I'd recommend shipping this in a tube.
Thanks for your interest.