Hotspring fragrance

Medium:: Woodblock print
Format:: Oban
Publisher:: Watanabe Shozaburo
Edition:: Published by Watanabe Shozaburo
Source:: Japanese Art Open Database

Typical Price

Shinsui's extensive oeuvre spans bijin-ga, landscapes, and genre subjects. Auction averages over 12 months reflect healthy collector demand across all subject types.

Later postwar editions: $500–$1,500
Lifetime editions, good condition: $1,500–$5,000
Rare or early exceptional subjects: $5,000–$15,000

Description

The fragrance of a hot spring (yunotoka or onsen kaori) provides the evocative subject of this undated [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) print, the mineral-rich thermal waters whose steam carries a distinctive smell being one of the defining sensory experiences of Japanese onsen culture. This undated "Hotspring Fragrance" print is related to the 1930 autumn "Fragrance of the Hot-spring" and the numbered limited edition "Hot Springs Fragrance," suggesting that the onsen fragrance subject was one Shinsui returned to multiple times across different series and formats. The bokashi printing renders the steamy, soft-edged atmosphere of the thermal springs.