$1,000–$8,000. Common prints: $1,000–$2,500. Key value factors: As a major nihonga painter, Domoto Insho's prints are valued both as artworks and as affordable entry points to his oeuvre. Paintings command far higher prices.
This [oban](/glossary/oban) woodblock print depicts a puppet master, a figure from the Japanese bunraku puppet theater tradition. Bunraku, which originated in Osaka, requires three puppeteers to operate each puppet in full view of the audience, with the chief puppeteer (omozukai) the only one whose face is visible. Domoto's rendering of this theatrical subject connects his printmaking to the performing arts of the Kansai region where he lived and worked. The puppet master's concentration, the relationship between his hands and the puppet they control, and the partial concealment of his body behind the puppet stage create a visually compelling subject. The print bridges Domoto's landscape and figure work, placing a human performer within the structured visual world of traditional theater.
Woodblock print
Woodblock print
Woodblock print
early Shôwa period (1926–1989), 1926/35
Silk, plain weave; stenciled and resist dyed (yûzenzome: ita-age, suri yûzenzome, otoshizome and shigokizome)
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Puppet Master was created by Insho Domoto (堂本印象).
Puppet Master depicts figures and daily life.
