Masao Ido, Hiranoya, Kyoto, 1990, Original Woodblock Print, Framed

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masao ido — “hiranoya, … Read more Importing art into the united states is exempt from all u.s. Tariffs but please, do check!

masao ido — “hiranoya, kyoto” — original woodblock print, signed, numbered & dated, 1990

a masterwork of postwar japanese sōsaku-hanga (creative printmaking), this richly layered woodblock print by masao ido (井堂雅夫, 1945–2003) captures one of kyoto’s most storied and atmospheric destinations: ayu chaya hiranoya (鮎茶屋 平野屋), a legendary riverside restaurant tucked along the atago kaidō road in sagano, near the torii gate of atago shrine.

from an elevated vantage point, ido renders the long, low machiya-style building with characteristic economy and force: the sweeping grey tiled roof dominates the composition, anchored by the bold dark noren (entrance curtain) bearing the calligraphic characters 平野屋 in luminous white. Paper lanterns glow softly to the left; a wooden bench draped in red cloth sits ready to receive guests outside. The treetops — rendered in ido’s signature stippled green — press in from above, completing a scene of quintessential kyoto elegance. The palette is restrained yet alive: graphite grey, forest green, deep black, warm ochre, and that single stroke of red — perfectly placed.

this is a limited edition of 200, numbered 167/200, signed “masao ido” in pencil in the lower right margin, alongside the edition number, title inscription, and date 1990. The artist’s distinctive red hanko seal appears in the lower right corner of the image — a mark of authenticity consistent with ido’s practice throughout his career. The print is presented in an elegant dark wood frame with generous cream mat, ready to hang.

about hiranoya

ayu chaya hiranoya (鮎茶屋 平野屋) is one of kyoto’s most extraordinary surviving institutions — a place where history, landscape, and japanese culinary culture converge in a setting of almost impossible beauty. Founded in the early edo period as a humble chaya (teahouse) serving pilgrims ascending to the sacred atago shrine, the establishment gradually evolved into an ayu (sweetfish) wholesale house before becoming, during the meiji era, the celebrated kaiseki restaurant it remains today. It has been in continuous operation for over 400 years.

the restaurant sits in near-total seclusion at the base of mount atago in sagano — surrounded by ancient forest, accessible only on foot or by a narrow mountain road. The thatched-roof main building dates to the restaurant’s founding and remains essentially unchanged. In autumn the structure disappears beneath a canopy of blazing maple; in winter, guests gather around the open hearth for botan nabe, the traditional wild boar hotpot. It is the very definition of kakurega — a hidden refuge — and has long been a cherished retreat for kyoto’s cultural and literary elite.

for masao ido, who spent his career documenting the temples, machiya streetscapes, and secret corners of his native city, hiranoya was an ideal subject: a place as timeless and irreducibly japanese as the city itself.

about the artist

masao ido (井堂雅夫, 1945–2016) is among the most significant japanese woodblock print artists of the late 20th century and a leading figure in the sōsaku-hanga tradition — a movement in which the artist conceives, carves, and prints every work entirely by hand, without the collaborative division of labor of the classical edo-period ukiyo-e workshops. Every impression is, in the fullest sense, the artist’s own.

born and raised in kyoto, ido devoted his practice to interpreting the city’s architecture, light, and layered atmosphere. His kyoto series — depicting temple gates, lantern-lit storefronts, moss-covered garden walls, rain-slicked stone streets — is executed in an immediately recognizable visual language: bold flat color planes, stippled textures evoking gravel and foliage, dramatic aerial perspectives, and above all a profound, contemplative stillness. His work captures not the tourist’s kyoto but the insider’s — the city as it exists in early morning quiet, in the pause before a gate, in a darkened noren swaying in autumn air.

ido’s prints are held in private and institutional collections across japan, the united states, and europe. Signed, numbered, and dated works from his kyoto architectural series — and particularly those depicting specific, named historic locations — are increasingly sought after by serious collectors of japanese graphic art.

condition: excellent. Colors vivid and unfaded. No foxing, tears, or restoration visible.

dimensions (frame): h 37 × w 44.5 × d 2 cm / h 14.6 × w 17.5 × d 0.8 in

colors may slightly vary due to photographic lighting sources or your monitor settings.

wear consistent with age and use. This piece has an attribution mark,
i am sure that it is completely authentic and take full responsibility for any authenticity
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