Kotondo's bijin-ga are prized for their psychologically intimate portrayals of modern Tokyo women. With only 21 designs and original woodblocks destroyed, all genuine 1930s impressions are scarce. Sotheby's estimated "Summer Geisha" at $8,000–$12,000 in 2023.
A woman sits in a composed pose, the 1936 date placing this among Kotondo's late bijin-ga output, when his production had slowed to near-silence. The seated posture — formal, self-contained — differs from the absorbed domestic moments that populate his earlier work, suggesting a more deliberate, composed subject. The print demonstrates that Kotondo's technical mastery remained intact through the long intervals of his working life, the line as refined and the color as sensitive as in his most celebrated early work.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Seated Woman was created by Torii Kotondo (鳥居言人) in 1936.
Seated Woman was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (1936).
Seated Woman depicts figures, bijin-ga, and seascapes.
