Key block for Autumn at Tsutenkyo
by Miki Suizan
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Publisher:
- Watanabe Shozaburo
- Source:
- wbp
by Miki Suizan
$800–$6,000. Common subjects: $800–$2,000. Key value factors: Miki Suizan's Kyoto maiko prints are the most popular. Condition and subject matter are key value factors.
This print reveals the technical skeleton behind Suizan's finished "Autumn at Tsutenkyo" composition, showing only the key block (hangi) impression before color printing begins. The key block, carved from a single cherry-wood plank, carries all the black outlines that define the image's structure: the bridge timbers, leaf clusters, tree trunks, and spatial relationships. Without the overlaid colors that transform the finished print into a blazing autumn scene, the key block impression resembles an ink drawing, exposing Suizan's draftsmanship in its purest form. Key block proofs like this were normally working documents used to align the subsequent color blocks, and their survival as collectible objects reflects modern interest in the craft process behind [shin-hanga](/glossary/shin-hanga). Each line visible here was carved in reverse by the block cutter, translating Suizan's brush drawing into the sharp, printable ridges of wood.
Noka no aki (Miyagi ken Ayashi
1946
Color woodblock print
Woodblock print
1950
Color woodblock print
Autumn 1920
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Key block for Autumn at Tsutenkyo was created by Miki Suizan (三木翠山).
Key block for Autumn at Tsutenkyo was published by Watanabe Shozaburo.
Key block for Autumn at Tsutenkyo depicts autumn foliage.
