Flower - 花

Date:: 1980
Medium:: Woodblock print
Format:: Oban
Publisher:: Watanabe Shozaburo
Edition:: Published by Watanabe Shozaburo
Source:: Ohmi Gallery

Typical Price

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.

Later impressions or related works: $500–$2,000
Original period works: $2,000–$8,000
Finest examples: $8,000–$20,000

Description

"Flower - 花" is a shin-hanga nature study by Torii Kotondo, created during the Taisho and Showa periods. This work belongs to the kacho-e (bird-and-flower) tradition, one of the most celebrated genres in Japanese art.

Torii Kotondo brings characteristic sensitivity to this naturalistic subject, combining precise observation with poetic atmosphere. The composition balances the living subjects with their environment, creating a scene that feels both scientifically accurate and emotionally resonant.

The technical execution reveals the sophisticated printmaking tradition behind this image — from the precise registration of multiple color blocks to the subtle gradations that give depth and luminosity to the natural subjects.

This print represents Torii Kotondo's contribution to the shin-hanga tradition during the Taisho and Showa periods. As with all works by this artist, it reflects both individual artistic vision and the broader cultural moment in which it was created. For collectors and admirers of Japanese printmaking, it offers a window into the sophisticated aesthetic world that produced some of the most beloved images in art history.