$2,000–$15,000+. Common subjects: $2,000–$5,000. Key value factors: As the founder of sosaku-hanga, Yamamoto's prints carry great historical significance. His earliest works are the most valued.
Printed in 1918, this color woodblock explores the theme of bathing with the directness Yamamoto brought to figure subjects during his mature period. The composition places the nude form within a natural setting where water, rock, and flesh are rendered with equal visual weight through broad areas of color separated by carved lines. Yamamoto's treatment of the bathing figure owes a debt to both European post-Impressionist painting and the Japanese tradition of depicting onsen culture, though he avoids the coyness typical of [bijin-ga](/glossary/bijin-ga) prints. The self-carved, self-printed nature of the work is evident in the slightly irregular edges and hand-worked textures that distinguish [sosaku-hanga](/glossary/sosaku-hanga) from the polished surfaces of publisher-driven [shin-hanga](/glossary/shin-hanga) production.
Mutsu Tsuta onsen
1919
Color woodblock print; oban
1943
Color woodblock print
Autumn 1920
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
1924
Color woodblock print
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Bathing was created by Kanae Yamamoto (山本鼎) in 1918.
Bathing depicts nude.
