Katsuyki Nishijima, Kōbeya — Traditional Merchant Shop, Kobe, 1990s, Woodblock Print, Framed

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Kōbeya — traditional merchant shop, kobe | sōsaku-hanga woodblock print by katsuyuki nishijima, ed. 265/500

a quietly mesmerizing scene of … Read more Kōbeya — traditional merchant shop, kobe | sōsaku-hanga woodblock print by katsuyuki nishijima, ed. 265/500

a quietly mesmerizing scene of old japan — this woodblock print by celebrated kyoto-based artist katsuyuki nishijima (b. 1945) depicts the façade of the kōbeya, a traditional merchant shop in kobe, rendered with the masterful economy of line and bold planes of muted color that have made nishijima one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary japanese printmaking.

the composition draws the eye across dark timber storefronts beneath a sweeping tiled roof, past hanging shop curtains (noren) bearing the house name in white brushwork, and hand-lettered signs — one advertising o-matcha — to a small pink signboard leaning against the entrance reading “meshimase — oyasumi mase”, an old-fashioned phrase warmly inviting passersby to step in and rest. Not a single person appears, nor any trace of the modern world. Time seems suspended.

this is precisely the quality that defines nishijima’s art: a japan of quiet streets and wooden façades, of tiled roofs and merchant signs, preserved with both documentary precision and deep poetic feeling.

the print is pencil-signed k. Nishijima, titled, and numbered 265/500 in the lower margin, and bears the artist’s red seal (hanko) in the lower right corner — all hallmarks of a fully authenticated limited edition. It is presented in its original japanese wooden frame with elegantly rounded corners.

frame dimensions: h 45.5 × w 57 × d 2.6 cm (17⅞ × 22½ × 1 in.)

about katsuyuki nishijima

katsuyuki nishijima was born in yamaguchi province, japan, in 1945, and studied moku hanga woodblock printmaking at the prestigious mikumo publishing house in kyoto from 1964 to 1968.  working in the sōsaku-hanga tradition, he designs, carves, and prints each block entirely by hand himself  — a distinction that places him among a rare group of artists in full command of every stage of the printmaking process.

at a time when traditional small businesses are disappearing at an alarming rate, nishijima has dedicated his career to preserving the façades of japan’s merchant shops and local establishments, some dating back to the edo period.  his prints are held in private collections worldwide and remain among the most sought-after works in the contemporary japanese woodblock print market.

about sōsaku-hanga

sōsaku-hanga — literally “creative prints” — is a 20th-century japanese printmaking movement in which the artist takes sole responsibility for the entire process: conception, carving, and hand-printing on fine japanese washi paper. Unlike the collaborative shin-hanga tradition, every mark in a sōsaku-hanga print is the direct work of a single artist’s hand. The result is not a reproduction but a handcrafted original — one in which the artist’s touch is present in every layer of pigment and every carved line.

offered in fine, well-preserved condition in its original japanese frame — a rare opportunity to acquire an authenticated, frame-ready work by one of japan’s most beloved contemporary printmakers.

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,
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