Tsukioka Yoshitoshi Shinsen Azuma Nishiki-e, Enmeiin Nichido Banashi, 1885 Woodblock Diptych
Tsukioka Yoshitoshi Shinsen Azuma Nishiki-e, Enmeiin Nichido Banashi, 1885 Woodblock Diptych
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A guide for this piece: about $97, based on the 10% US charge on the declared value of goods made in Japan.
The final figure is set by US Customs and depends on where the piece was made and the kind of object it is. Many antiques over a century old carry no ordinary duty; most jewellery and leather goods add a single-digit rate.
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- Resplendent 8.3 of 10 ·
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- Authenticity guaranteed · How we grade
| Figure | cm | in |
|---|---|---|
| Width | 47.0 cm | 18.5 in |
| Height | 34.0 cm | 13.4 in |
Every piece is measured by hand, in centimetres as Japan measures. Please allow 1–2 cm (about ½ inch) for the give of the material and the hand that held the tape.
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Condition report
Very Good
- Giftable
- Mint
- Excellent
- Very Good
- Good
- Honest Wear
- As Found
Scandal Behind the Temple Screen
Yoshitoshi stages the Enmeiin affair as theatre: the priest Nichido kneels in white at the left, reaching towards the shelf, while a lady of rank arranges her hair in a room hung with wave-pattern banners. The bright Meiji colour and the sharp drawing of faces show Yoshitoshi at the height of his powers.
Best for: Collectors of Yoshitoshi and Meiji narrative prints
Condition notes
Toning, small stains, creases and light rubbing from age, as expected for a Meiji print; colours remain strong. Unframed.
Grades, ratings and commentary are given to the best of our ability, knowledge and experience, and condition remains partly a matter of personal perception. What we stand behind without qualification is authenticity, truthful description and provenance, to the best of our knowledge. How we grade
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A woodblock diptych of 1885 by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi from New Selection of Eastern Brocade Pictures, retelling the Enmeiin temple scandal of old Edo in brilliant Meiji colour.
The Piece
Shinsen Azuma Nishiki-e, New Selection of Eastern Brocade Pictures, was Yoshitoshi's series of diptychs illustrating famous tales and true stories of Edo. This design takes the case of Nichido, priest of the Enmeiin temple, whose liaisons with women of high rank ended in scandal and his execution in 1803.
Yoshitoshi divides the drama across the two sheets. On the left the priest kneels in white, reaching up towards a shelf in a sombre green room; on the right a lady of rank, her robe loosened, lifts her hands to her hair before banners printed with crashing waves, while an attendant waits behind. The faces are drawn with the cool precision of his late style, and the publisher's colophon in the margin dates the design to the twelfth month of Meiji 18, December 1885.
Details
- Artist: Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839 to 1892), signed with his seal
- Series: Shinsen Azuma Nishiki-e (New Selection of Eastern Brocade Pictures)
- Title: Enmeiin Nichido Banashi (The Story of Nichido of Enmeiin)
- Date: Meiji 18 (1885) in the colophon
- Publisher: Tsunashima Kamekichi in the colophon
- Technique: Colour woodblock printing on Japanese paper
- Format: Diptych, two sheets
- Size: About 34 x 47 cm (13.4 x 18.5 in) overall, read against a scale rule.
- Frame: Unframed
Condition
- Toning, small stains, creases and light rubbing from age.
- Colours remain strong across both sheets.
- Every photograph is part of the description.
Condition grade B (very good) on the Japanese scale; see Japanese condition ranks, explained.
Authenticity & Care
Offered as an original Meiji-period woodblock print by Yoshitoshi. Keep flat, away from sun and damp, and frame behind UV-filtering glazing.
Delivery from Japan
The diptych travels flat, never rolled, between rigid boards in a sealed sleeve, insured and tracked by EMS or an equivalent express service. Import duties and taxes, where applicable, are payable on arrival. Every sale is final; please ask anything you wish to know before you buy, and see our published policy.
Considered offers are welcome through Send an Offer, and each one is reviewed personally. Further prints of the period are kept in our archive of woodblock prints and classical texts and among the pieces just arrived.
Concierge
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Collectors also search: Yoshitoshi diptych · Shinsen Azuma Nishiki-e · Meiji woodblock print
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