$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 ink and color woodblock print from circa 1914-1916 portrays Mukojima, the district along the east bank of the Sumida River known for its cherry trees, literary associations, and garden restaurants. Mukojima occupied a special place in Tokyo's cultural geography as a retreat from the dense commercial city, a place where Edo-period traditions of riverside leisure persisted into the modern era. Hakutei's rendering emphasizes the area's relationship to the river, capturing the low-lying landscape where water, vegetation, and scattered buildings merge. The sosaku-hanga approach allows Hakutei to imprint his personal response to the location directly into the carved block, without the mediating interpretation of a professional carver translating his design into wood.
Woodblock print
1928
Color lithograph
1930
Color lithograph
1948
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Mukōjima was created by Ishii Hakutei (石井柏亭) in c. 1914–1916.
Mukōjima depicts urban scenes, cherry blossoms, and rivers & lakes.
Mukōjima measures 38.4 × 25.7 cm.
