Kotondo is best known for bijin-ga, but his complete oeuvre includes actor prints and other figure subjects. His small corpus of only 21 designs ensures that all authenticated period impressions carry collector interest and scarcity premiums.
A woman draws a comb through her hair, her arms raised and her gaze turned slightly inward. Combing is one of the quintessential subjects of Kotondo's bijin-ga — an action that reveals the length and texture of the hair, the architecture of the arms, the private absorption of a woman tending to herself. The October 1929 date places this among the concentrated burst of masterworks Kotondo produced in the final years of his most active period before his output effectively ceased.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Combing was created by Torii Kotondo (鳥居言人) in October 1929.
Combing was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (October 1929).
Combing depicts figures, bijin-ga, and portraits.
