Beschreibung:

Takahashi Shotei (Hiroaki, 1871-1945)Clam Fishing at Kawasaki (Kawasaki asari-gari)Taisho period, early 20th century
woodblock print, sealed Shotei, two square black seals at lower left, titled to the lower right as above, no publisher's mark but published by Watanabe Shozaburo, circa 1920
Just off the port of Kawasaki, an oarsman steers his boat towards the shore with a seated woman sorting through clams in woven bamboo baskets. A dozen ship sails populate the sea and a silhouette of Mount Fuji is visible in the distance.
Horizontal mitsugiriban: 17 x 38 cm., 6¾ x 15 in.Condition reportVery good impression and colour, toning, the reverse with pencil annotations and traces of mounting tape to top corners, the reverse stamped No. 904 which has been altered by hand to read No. 901.
The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colors and shades which are different to the lot's actual color and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation. The condition report is a statement of opinion only. For that reason, the condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS ONLINE CONDITION REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE/BUSINESS APPLICABLE TO THE RESPECTIVE SALE.Catalogue noteShotei was born in Asakusa, Tokyo. He was apprenticed to his uncle, the Japanese style painter Matsumoto Fuko (1840-1923), at the age of nine. From around the age of sixteen, Takahashi was employed in the Imperial Household Department of Foreign Affairs where he copied the designs of foreign medals, court clothes and other objects pertaining to palatial ceremony. He also worked for magazines and scientific articles using the name Takahashi Shotei. He began making woodblock prints for the publisher Watanabe Shozaburo (1885-1962) in 1907 where he was commissioned by the publisher in early spring. These early works were often modest in size and designed for long narrow formats. They were replete with scenes often seen in earlier ukiyo-e [lit. pictures of the floating world] prints, but embellished with a new realism. These romantic vistas of Japan reflect Watanabe’s first attempt to create a new type of woodblock print which aimed both to revitalise the tradition whilst also exporting to the West a romantic vision of Japan. Shotei made more than five hundred designs for Watanabe before the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, where the blocks for all of his designs were destroyed in the fire which soon ravaged through Tokyo following the quake. After the calamnity, Shotei designed a further one hundred and fifty more prints for his publisher.1 1. Helen Merritt, Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints: The Early Years, (Honolulu, 1990), pg. 43-44.