This Swiss alpine subject belongs to Yoshida's landmark European series from his 1925 tour — one of only 11 prints from that journey and among the rarest in his entire catalogue. The series is anchored by The Town of Lugano, which set the artist's record at $167,144 (Mainichi Auction, 2024). Swiss subjects in particular attract buyers from both Europe and the Americas.
The Jungfrau rises to 4,158 meters above the Bernese Oberland, and Yoshida traveled to Switzerland in 1925 to confront its immensity firsthand. His woodblock translation of the Alpine peak is remarkable for rendering the quality of high-altitude light — the crystalline whiteness of glacial ice, the deep cobalt sky, the sharp shadows cut by ridgelines. Trained in Western oil painting, Yoshida understood mountain atmosphere in a way few Japanese printmakers of his era could match, and this print stands as evidence of that synthesis.
Wakasa Kugushiko
1920
Color woodblock print; oban
Woodblock print
1934
Color woodblock print; oban
n.d.
Woodblock print; ishizuri-e, section of harimaze sheet
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Jungfrau was created by Hiroshi Yoshida (吉田博) in 1925.
Jungfrau was published by Yoshida Studio (1925).
Jungfrau depicts landscapes, snow scenes, and mountains.
Jungfrau measures 27.2 × 39.5 cm (Oban format).
