Saru Gallery
       Japanese Prints & Japanese Paintings

Various ( - )

The portfolio Tōkyō kaikō zue - Scenes of last Tokyo, published by Fugaku Shuppansha in December 1945. Groundbreaking set of 15 prints taking "a nostalgic look at a Tokyo then largely destroyed or seriously damaged". Contributions by the leading Sosaku Hanga artists of the day: Onchi Kōshirō (3), Hiratsuka Un'ichi (2), Yamaguchi Gen (2), Kawakami Sumio (2), Maekawa Senpan (2), Maeda Masao (1), Saito Kiyoshi (1), Sekino Jun'ichirō (1) and Azechi Umetarō (1). Print sizes ca. 20 x 26 cm. Each print is in its original mat (with title label in Kanji and English), and table of contents. Many of the designs were derived from One Hundred Views of New Tokyo (Shin Tokyo Hyakkei), published around 1930.

Euro reserved

Fine impression, colours and condition: this set stands out as it has a sturdier and higher quality folder than the others I have had and seen (see Detail 1); the regular folders were of low-quality paper and disintegrated within a few years.