Sumizuri-e (black and white print)
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Edition:
- Self-printed
- Source:
- wbp
Typical Price
$1,000–$6,000. Common subjects: $1,000–$2,000. Key value factors: Tanaka's exquisite farmhouse etchings are beloved by collectors worldwide. Since his death in 2019, prices have firmed. Traditional thatched-roof subjects are most popular.
Description
Sumizuri-e — black-and-white printing — is the designation for monochrome woodblock prints using sumi ink alone, the technique from which the full-color tradition of polychrome ukiyo-e eventually developed. Tanaka's use of this term as a title suggests a work self-consciously conceived within that austere tradition, foregrounding the graphic power of pure black ink on white paper. The lack of color focuses attention entirely on line, tone, and composition.
More Prints by Tanaka Ryohei
More Landscapes Prints
Lake Kugushi in Wakasa Province (Wakasa Kugushiko), from the series Souvenirs of Travel I (Tabi miyage dai isshu)"
Wakasa Kugushiko
1920
Color woodblock print; oban
Autumn Maple Leaves at Takao, from the album Eight Views of Kyoto (Kyôto hakkei)
Woodblock print
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)"
1934
Color woodblock print; oban
Tea Kettle, section of a sheet from the series "Mirror of Stone Rubbings of Views of the Provinces" (Kohon meihitsu ishizuri kagami)
n.d.
Woodblock print; ishizuri-e, section of harimaze sheet
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sumizuri-e (black and white print) was created by Tanaka Ryohei (田中良平).
Sumizuri-e (black and white print) depicts landscapes and village scenes.