TSUCHIYA KOITSU: SNOW ON THE UKIMIDO AT KATADA

TSUCHIYA KOITSU: SNOW ON THE UKIMIDO AT KATADA
By Tsuchiya Koitsu (1870-1949), signed Koitsu with seal Shin
Japan, dated 1934
Color woodblock print on paper. Vertical oban. Signed Koitsu with seal Shin; publisher Watanabe. Titled Yuki no Katada Ukimido (Snow on the Ukimido at Katada).
A beautiful winter waterfront with light snow falling, a snowy embankment in the foreground, and a stilted pavilion in the background with a single lamp post, faintly lit. A snow-covered pine branch in the left register blocks the view of the pavilion's walkway.
Inscriptions:
Along the left-hand margin, Hanken shoyu Watanabe Shozaburo [copyright ownership Watanabe Shozaburo].
SIZE of the sheet 39 x 26.6 cm
Condition: Good impression and great colors slightly faded, minor creasing to the margins.
Tsuchiya Koitsu (1870-1949)
was a renowned landscape artist and a student of the famous Meiji-era print designer Kobayashi Kiyochika (1847-1915). He gained prominence as a designer of shin hanga (New Prints) for major woodblock print publishers from the early 1930s to 1940. Tsuchiya Koitsu's prints were known for their dramatic use of light and interesting color effects, influenced by his teacher Kiyochika. While some critics praised his work, noting its quality on par with famous shin hanga landscape artists like Kawase Hasui, Kasamatsu Shiro, and Yoshida Hiroshi, others criticized his heavy-handed design and unconventional color sensibility.
Auction comparison:
Compare a related print by Tsuchiya Koitsu titled Suijin Shrine on the Sumida River, at Sotheby's, Landscape to City: 20th Century Japanese Prints Part II, 10 May 2023, London, lot 107
(sold for GBP 2,413)
.