Lot 2012: Ichiyotei Yoshitaki (1841-1899)

An album of Osaka prints One hundred thirty-two chuban and five aiban, now bound in a single album with fabric covers; featuring actors in various roles, circa 1859-60, all signed Yoshitaki except for one diptych signed Sadahiro (Sadahiro II) and two unsigned surimono-style chuban yoko-e, consisting of nine single prints, twenty-eight diptychs, eleven triptychs (two of which combine horizontal and vertical sheets), two four-prints series, two five-print series, one six-print series and one rare eight-print series – generally very good impression and color, some with minor condition issues 9 x 10 1/4in (22.7 x 26.1cm) 9 7/8 x 7 1/4in (25.1 x 18.4cm)

22.7 x 26.1cm

circa 1859

Ichiyotei Yoshitaki (1841-99), active in both Osaka and Edo (Tokyo), was the most prolific designer of kamigata-e (woodblock prints of the Kansai region) from the 1860s to the 1880s. For further discussion of such works, please see Kitagawa Hiroko, "Kamigata-e: The Prints of Osaka and Kyoto" in the Hotei Encyclopedia of Japanese Woodblock Prints (Amsterdam: Hotei, 2005), vol. 1 pp. 229-232.