Unknown 8

Catalogued as 'Unknown 8,' this Ohno Bakufu woodblock print remains unidentified by title or subject. Within the context of his career, the print most likely derives from the 'Dai Nihon Gyorui Gashu' series or from related natural history work. The series comprised a large number of plates depicting the fish of Japan, published in installments between 1937 and 1944, and not all plates have been comprehensively catalogued in Western collections. The ichthyological print tradition Ohno worked within required close collaboration between the artist, professional block carvers, and experienced printers: the artist supplied precise brushwork studies; carvers translated these into multiple cherry-wood blocks; printers registered each color application on dampened hosho or kozo washi. Even without a species identification, the print documents this collaborative craft process and Ohno's commitment to natural history accuracy within the woodblock medium.