Approximately 100 years ago, the Kyoto Sosaku Hanga Kyokai was formed by Tobei Kamei, Tomikichiro Tokuriki and Eiichi Kotozuka, to promote the art of sosaku hanga, in which the artist designed, carved and printed the prints himself. Several times, these three artists published a set of art prints together, with varying themes. A rare collection of collaboration prints is Fifty Flower Themes, published in 1930. These prints, which demonstrate such a simple way to portray these flowers, are beautiful in their simplicity. Please remember that these prints are 95 years old. It is so rare to find these in good quality. On auction is the print Mountain Tea Flower by Eiichi Kotozuka. Although the flowers itself, with the gold paint as finishing touch, are stunning. It is the bird that attracts the attention. It is a beautiful nature print. Eiichi Kotozuka (琴塚 英一) (1906 – 1981) was a 20th-century Japanese commercial artist and woodblock printmaker. He was a prolific artist of the sōsaku-hanga style. He was one of four artists who co-founded the print publishing company Koryokusha. He was noted for his prints of Japanese cultural traditions, flowers, landscapes, and wildlife. He was a member of the Seiryusha Group of Liberal Artists. (source: Wikipedia)