THE FIRST BONITO OF THE SEASON (Kitagawa Hidemaro)

N.1 ukiyo-e woodblock print
Period: 1801-18
Condition: signs of aging
Size: 22,5 x 17,5 cm

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Description

Original sumizuri-e (墨摺絵) monochrome woodblock print depicting a katsuo (カツオ) skipjack tuna and made, in a period between 1801 and 1818, by the artist Kitagawa Hidemaro (喜多川秀麿), pupil and collaborator of the famous Kitagawa Utamaro (喜多川歌麿).

In the upper part of the work, we read a haiku (俳句) poem: «At the end of the fishing line / the taste of a gold coin: / the first bonito of the season» (ひもはしに / 小判のあじや / 初松魚).

The rare print on Japanese washi paper (和紙) has an evident patina of time, slight fold marks and some small cracks and wormholes.