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 ties her obi sash, the elaborate business of securing the wide silk belt that cinches the outer kimono requiring practiced technique. This 1932 version of the Sash subject adds mica to the ink on paper, creating a shimmer in the background that elevates the domestic act of dressing into something luminous. The figure's arms are raised and her gaze directed inward, the composition filled with the quiet concentration of someone performing a skill entirely habituated to muscle memory.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Sash was created by Torii Kotondo (鳥居言人) in November 1929.
Sash uses Bokashi, on woodblock print, ink and color on paper with mica.
Sash was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (November 1929).
Sash depicts figures, bijin-ga, and daily life.
Sash measures 41.1 × 26.2 cm (Oban format).
