Ishö Ningyö (Costume Doll)

Catalog note / 解説

This print is a part of a rare edition of twenty-four prints of Japanese palace dolls (Gosho ningyö), issued as a set, which Hasui designed sometime around 1930. The binding for the set bears a title in English, and the prints are accompanied by a preface in English by the well-known print designer and President of the Japanese Woodcut Print Society, Okada Saburösuke (1869-1939). From Okada's preface, it is clear that this edition was directed specifically at the overseas market, and was intended to promote foreign interest in Japanese prints. Unlike the kuchi-e and other popular prints in this exhibition, Hasui's set was made as a limited edition that used the finest paper and pigments, wi…