Description
Original woodblock print of vertical large oban (大判) format depicting in the foreground a fishmonger carrying on his shoulder a tenbinbo (天秤棒) yoke with two buckets of skipjack tunas, known in Japanese cuisine as katsuo (カツオ) and which, once dried and cut into flakes, is the main ingredient of fish broth and an excellent garnishing of different dishes such as takoyaki (たこ焼き) and okonomiyaki (お好み焼き). In the background we can see Mount Fuji (富士山).
The work is entitled “Bonito Seller” (勝魚売) and is taken from the series “Images of Dancing Figures” (踊姿絵) made by Tai Koun (田井耕耘), a student and then wife of the famous artist Ogata Gekko (尾形月耕).
The print on Japanese washi paper (和紙), produced in May 1899 by the publisher Matsuki Heikichi (松木平吉), despite the right patina of time is in very good general condition.
