Edo Enka - Kaneyoshi Ikeda Kanjiro Sato - Japan

A Japanese-returned Ukiyo-e print, a portrait of a beautiful woman by Tōshūsai Sharaku. This is a half-length woodblock print of a beautiful woman in the style of Tōshūsai Sharaku, a large-format Ukiyo-e print hand-printed by a printing house during the Showa period, using the precious mica folding technique.

The print features a dark gray mica-textured background, with the figure highlighted by a muted tone, creating a rich and serene interplay of light and shadow. The Edo woman in the print wears an elaborate and ornate high bun, adorned with numerous slender hairpins, and her sideburns are depicted with delicate and fluid lines. Her face is beautiful, with subtle features and a serene expression. She wears a dark purple kimono with white polka dots, embellished with delicate chrysanthemum family crests, and a bright red trim on the collar. Her right hand lightly holds a long red pipe, her posture elegant and graceful.

The entire print is a hand-printed woodblock in multiple colors, engraved by Kenkichi Ikeda and folded by Kanjirō Satō. The lines are sharp, the colors rich and layered, and the mica background exhibits a delicate pearlescent sheen under light, making it a masterpiece among Ukiyo-e reproductions. The original work is a highly representative portrait of Sharaku, focusing on capturing the character's expression. Unlike ornate genre paintings, it possesses a restrained and sophisticated atmosphere, making it suitable for framing, display, and collection.