Takehisa Yumeji - Yoimachigusa (宵待草) - Woodblock prints / Mokuhanga - Deluxe Limited Edition 200 copies - 1977

TAKEHISA YUMEJI (1884–1934) – "Yoimachigusa" (宵待草)
Luxurious Limited Edition of only 200 copies worldwide (1977) – With 1 Original Woodblock Print (Mokuhanga)

Rarest high-quality art publication dedicated to Takehisa Yumeji, a symbolic figure of Japanese illustration and painting in the 20th century. This is the supreme luxury edition (Gōka Kazō 限定版), published in 1977 by Nobel Shobō in Tokyo in a strictly limited and numbered edition of only 200 copies worldwide.

PARTICULARITIES AND CONTENT OF THE LOT

Contains 1 Original Woodblock Print (Mokuhanga) protected by interleaving paper: The exceptional strength of this volume is the presence of an original woodblock print (Mokuhanga), carved by master Tokio Miyashita (宮下登喜雄). The print is protected by an original guard sheet of interleaving paper to preserve the delicacy of the pigments and the paper.

Artistic Reproductions: The rest of the volume gathers the artist’s splendid illustrations reproduced in high-quality typography.

Casket and Gold-Effect Binding: The volume is housed in its protective green-blue rigid clamshell case with the title 宵待草 impressed in gold lettering. The book cover features a refined binding decorated with graphic motifs and gold relief details.

Internal Documentation: It retains inside the promotional sheet/inscription from the publisher’s era (headed by "Nobel France Member’s List" with handwritten annotations), a fascinating historical detail.

IMPORTANCE OF THE ARTIST: TAKEHISA YUMEJI

Takehisa Yumeji (竹久 夢二, 1884–1934) is the undisputed master of the Taishō Romantic aesthetic movement (大正ロマン). Poetical and visionary, Yumeji fused the ukiyo-e tradition with Western Art Nouveau currents.

He is celebrated for his Bijinga (portraits of beautiful women), characterized by elegant, melancholic figures with dreamy features. The work’s title, "Yoimachigusa" (Enotera / Night-blooming beauty), celebrates one of his most famous poems and illustrations, which has become a true icon of 20th-century Japanese popular culture.

TECHNICAL SHEET

Author / Artist: Takehisa Yumeji (竹久 夢二)

Title: Gashū Yumeji — Yoimachigusa (画集 夢二 ——宵待草——)

Publisher: Nobel Shobō (ノーベル書房), Tokyo

Year: 1977 (昭和52年)
Pages: unpaginated in the conventional sense as it is a volume of plates; should be around 180 pages total

Special Print: 1 Original Woodblock Print (Mokuhanga) protected by interleaving paper + color editorial reproductions

Print Run: Limited to only 200 numbered copies (Luxury Edition / Gōka Kazō)

Original Cover Price: 120,000 Yen

Language: Japanese

BINDING: leather with gilded impressions, clamshell case with gilded title

CONDITION: very good, only the clamshell case shows a few small abrasions and minor time-related patina