Summer Kimono - Ayame Yukata — 菖蒲ゆかた

Date:: 1932
Medium:: Woodblock print
Format:: Oban
Publisher:: Watanabe Shozaburo
Edition:: Published by Watanabe Shozaburo
Source:: Japanese Art Open Database

Typical Price

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.

Later impressions: $500–$2,500
Original 1930s editions, good condition: $4,000–$15,000
Exceptional original impressions: $15,000–$35,000

Description

A woman in a yukata patterned with iris (ayame) is depicted in the summer heat, the informal cotton garment worn around the house or at summer festivals replacing the formal silk kimono. The iris pattern gives the print its full title — Ayame Yukata — and the design demonstrates Kotondo's attention to textile pattern as a compositional element, the repeated iris motif creating rhythm across the fabric's surface. Summer yukata subjects allowed Kotondo to explore the body in its most casual, domestic register.