Key value factors: As self-carved and self-printed works, sosaku-hanga value is tied to the artist's reputation and edition size. Larger formats, earlier editions, and historically significant works command the highest prices.
A figure plays a pipe or flute in this single-block woodblock print, where the musician's posture and instrument are captured entirely through one layer of carved and printed imagery. The act of playing a wind instrument requires a specific physical engagement: fingers positioned on holes, lips shaped around the mouthpiece, breath controlled and directed. Inagaki renders this bodily concentration through simplified forms that convey the essential gesture without detailed anatomy. The pipe's slender form creates a diagonal line across the composition, connecting the player's hands to their breath. Printed from one block, the image relies on the expressive quality of Inagaki's carving to suggest both the musician's physical presence and the invisible act of sound production.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Single block print, playing the pipe was created by Inagaki Toshijiro (稲垣稔次郎).
Single block print, playing the pipe depicts music.
