Akasaka
- Date:
- c. 1914–1916
- Medium:
- Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
- Dimensions:
- 39.4 × 26 cm
- Edition:
- Self-printed
- Source:
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
$1,000–$8,000. Common prints: $1,000–$2,500. Key value factors: As a pioneer of sosaku-hanga and influential art critic, Hakutei's prints carry historical significance. Early self-carved prints are most valued.
This woodblock print depicts the Akasaka district of Tokyo, one of the city's commercial and entertainment quarters during the Taisho era. Produced circa 1914-1916 in ink and color on paper, the image records urban life at a moment when Tokyo was rapidly modernizing. Hakutei, who had studied Western oil painting in Europe, brings a painterly eye to the woodblock format, treating the streetscape with attention to light and spatial depth uncommon in traditional Japanese printmaking. The color palette and compositional framing suggest the influence of Post-Impressionist cityscapes that Hakutei absorbed during his time in Paris. As a founding figure of the sosaku-hanga movement, Hakutei carved and printed this block himself, rejecting the division of labor that had defined ukiyo-e production for centuries.
Woodblock print
1928
Color lithograph
1930
Color lithograph
1948
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Akasaka was created by Ishii Hakutei (石井柏亭) in c. 1914–1916.
Akasaka depicts urban scenes.
Akasaka measures 39.4 × 26 cm.
