$1,500–$10,000. Common prints: $1,500–$3,000. Key value factors: Settai's literary elegance and refined technique have a niche but devoted following among collectors of Japanese aestheticism.
This 1942 oban color woodblock print presents another version of the Kanzan and Jittoku theme, the legendary Chinese poet-monks depicted here in the mitate-e tradition of visual parody. Komura Settai returned to this subject repeatedly, finding in the eccentric pair a vehicle for wit, spiritual commentary, and formal experimentation. Kanzan is traditionally shown reading a scroll while Jittoku holds a broom, both laughing with the abandon of enlightened beings who have transcended worldly concerns. Settai's interpretation filters these Buddhist archetypes through his refined graphic sensibility, using clean outlines and flat color areas to create an image that balances reverence with playfulness. The color printing adds warmth and dimension absent from his monochrome treatments of similar subjects.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Parody of Kanzan and Jittoku was created by Komura Settai (小村雪岱) in 1942.
Parody of Kanzan and Jittoku was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (1942).
Parody of Kanzan and Jittoku depicts figures, religious, and mythology.
