Moromasa (after): Shin-Yoshiwara
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After Furuyama Moromasa (ca. 1712?-1772?)

A lively company in the spacious tatami rooms of a large house in the Shin-Yoshiwara. A man and a courtesan are playing one of the popular hand games (Ken). Uki-e (perspective picture). Sumizuri woodblock print, Beni-e. A hand-coloured woodblock facsimile (Fukkoku) by the publisher Takamizawa.

Title: Shin Yoshiwara Zashiki Ken-Zumô (A hand-sumo fight in the guest room in the New Yoshiwara)

Signature: Furuyama Moromasa ga

Seal: Saiho

Original Publisher: Igaya Kan'emon (Bunkindô), Edo

Publisher of this print: Takamizawa, Tokyo

Date: c. 1740. Here c. 1920/30’s

Size: Horizontal Dai-Ôban, 32 x 45,5 cm (overall size)

Very good impression and colours. Carefully hand-coloured, with some Urushi gloss in places. Untrimmed. Paper evenly browned (probably patinated by the publisher on purpose). Some very small stains (no foxing). Small corner crease bottom right in margin, bottom left slightly worn and lighter. At top verso mounted to the original sales cardboard with the golden embossed stamp "Hanmoto Takamizawa-han".
An early facsimile print (fukkoku) by Takamizawa. Due to their high quality the prints produced by this publisher belong to the most sought-after reproduction woodblock prints, which were mainly produced of important and very rare images.
Only very few of Moromasa’s prints have survived, including two uki-e. He was one of the first to apply western central perspective. For the original see Tokyo National Museum, C000828; Metropolitan Museum NY, JP655, MFA Boston, 21.5800.

€ 500,-