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Little Flora- Shibaraku- red version — 花 by Kaoru Kawano — Japanese Woodblock print

Little Flora- Shibaraku- red version — 花

by Kaoru Kawano

Medium:
Woodblock print
Image courtesy of
Japanese Art Open Database

Description

This print is an impression from the 'Little Flora — Shibaraku' red-version edition, sharing its composition and colorway with the related red impression. The kanji 花 in the title positions the subject explicitly within a floral thematic, aligning with Kawano's broader interest in pairing female figures with natural motifs drawn from kacho-e and bijin-ga conventions. The Shibaraku reference — a famous aragoto kabuki role known for theatrical costumes and exaggerated poses — lends the figure a performative quality, distinguishing it from straightforward bijin-ga. In this impression the red tones may show slight variation from the companion print in ink density or registration, reflecting the hand-printing process inherent to sosaku-hanga, where each sheet pulled with a baren produces minor but identifiable differences. The composition was evidently popular enough to warrant multiple printings and at least two distinct colorways.

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Featured in Collections

Curated cross-cuts that include this print.

Frequently Asked Questions

Little Flora- Shibaraku- red version — 花 was created by Kaoru Kawano (川野薫).