Kai (Shells) / Shokeisho (In Praise of the Valley of the Bell)
- Date:
- 1945
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Edition:
- Self-printed
- Source:
- British Museum
Description
A nude female figure, rendered almost entirely in solid black with unpainted white face, hands, feet, and breast outline, sits with legs folded and body twisted to one side against a mottled blue background scattered with brown shell-like spiral forms. Her raised arms bend at the elbows with splayed fingers, and her round face carries a faint smile with pink-flushed cheeks and closed or lowered eyes. Signed in brush script at the lower left, this woodblock print by Shiko Munakata (1945) is titled Kai (Shells) / Shokeisho (In Praise of the Valley of the Bell).
More Prints by Shiko Munakata
More Landscapes Prints
Lake Kugushi in Wakasa Province (Wakasa Kugushiko), from the series Souvenirs of Travel I (Tabi miyage dai isshu)"
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1920
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Autumn Maple Leaves at Takao, from the album Eight Views of Kyoto (Kyôto hakkei)
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The Beach at Kaiganji in Sanuki Province (Sanuki Kaiganji no hama), from the series "Collection of Views of Japan II, Kansai Edition (Nihon fukei shu II Kansai hen)"
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Tea Kettle, section of a sheet from the series "Mirror of Stone Rubbings of Views of the Provinces" (Kohon meihitsu ishizuri kagami)
n.d.
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Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Kai (Shells) / Shokeisho (In Praise of the Valley of the Bell) was created by Shiko Munakata (棟方志功) in 1945.
Kai (Shells) / Shokeisho (In Praise of the Valley of the Bell) depicts landscapes.