KIYOTADA IV • Shakkyō: The Lion Spirit • 1939 • Kabuki Japanese Woodblock Print • - Japan - 20th century
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€ 100
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Selected by Giovanni Bottero
Holds a master’s in Japanese art history with over 10 years’ expertise in Asian art.
Estimate € 200 - € 300
 | €100 | |
|---|---|---|
| €60 |
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Japanese 20th‑century kabuki woodblock print titled KIYOTADA IV • Shakkyō: The Lion Spirit, 1939, original, in excellent condition, measuring 45 cm high by 29 cm wide, from a private collection.
AI-assisted summary
Description from the seller
** This same design is currently offered by an established international gallery (Ronin Gallery, New York) at $1,200 — a price that reflects the quality and desirability of this Kiyotada VII sheet within the collector market. **
Title: Shakkyō (石橋) — "The Stone Bridge"
Role: Hakugashira Shishi no Sei (白頭獅子の精) — "The White-Maned Lion Spirit"
Series: Gekikadō Zuihitsu (劇雅堂随筆) — Kiyotada VII's late deluxe kabuki role-portrait group
Technique: Woodblock print (mokuhanga), deluxe edition — blind embossing (karazuri) in the border and ground, gauffrage in the textiles, fine bokashi gradation in the sky
Date: c. 1939 (group c. 1938–1940)
Format: Large format — approx. 44.5 × 29 cm (17½ × 11½ in.) on thick deluxe washi
Signature & Seals: Signed Kiyotada (清忠) in cursive in the upper-right cartouche with red artist's seal; title cartouche 京鹿子娘道成寺 upper left, with adjoining role slip
------------------------------------
Impression & Colors: Fresh and vivid, with the deluxe printing showing to full effect — the blazing crimson ground bleeding into the cream of the wildly wind-tossed mane, the gleaming gold-mica kumadori striping the lion-spirit's mask, and the crisp black keyblock giving the mask its glowering, wide-eyed expression. The robe glimpsed at lower left and right carries a richly worked peony-and-arabesque pattern in coral, indigo, and jade against gold and black grounds. The wide outer border carries a blind-embossed diamond-lattice pattern matching the rest of the series.
Paper: Thick, high-quality washi with full margins. Light, even toning consistent with age is normal for a print of this period. A couple of minor foxing spots are noted, unobtrusive. Please check the images!
------------------------------------
About the Print
Shakkyō ("The Stone Bridge") descends from the Noh play of the same name, in which the monk Jakushō, travelling in China, comes upon a narrow stone bridge said to lead to the Pure Land of the bodhisattva Monju. As he waits, a shishi — the mythical lion that serves as Monju's messenger — appears among the peonies and performs a wild, ecstatic dance before returning across the bridge. The lion's dance, with its violent mane-tossing (kamifuri), became one of the great set-piece showcases of physical stamina and technique on the kabuki stage, and shakkyō-mono — the broad family of lion-dance pieces descended from this source, including the celebrated Renjishi and Kagami Jishi — remain some of the most frequently revived dance-dramas in the repertoire.
This sheet belongs to Torii Kiyotada VII's late Gekikadō Zuihitsu group, the deluxe run of kabuki role-portraits that closed out his career in the years just before his death in 1941. Where the Torii school's centuries-old stock in trade was the flat, bold theatre-signboard, Kiyotada VII pushed that same graphic confidence into these small-edition collector sheets — gold mica for the actor's kumadori, blind embossing in the mane and border — designs meant to be handled and admired rather than pasted to a theatre wall.
Seller's Story
I've been collecting Japanese woodblock prints for quite a while now — everything from classic ukiyo-e to shin-hanga and sōsaku-hanga. What started as a personal passion eventually turned into something more, and these days I source prints from auctions, galleries, and private collections across Japan and Europe.
With growing worldwide interest in Japanese woodblock prints, gallery prices have been climbing steadily. My goal is simple: offer high-quality, authentic prints at reasonable prices. I'm picky about what I sell — I look for pieces that have been stored properly, kept flat, and are free from serious foxing, stains, or damage.
I'm based in Germany, which means EU buyers won't deal with any import duties or taxes. For US buyers, original artworks under HS code 9702 are duty-free as well. And wherever you are, I pack everything carefully with multiple layers of protection so your print arrives safely.
If you have questions about a piece, just reach out. You will get access to contact me once you've won an item from my lots.
** This same design is currently offered by an established international gallery (Ronin Gallery, New York) at $1,200 — a price that reflects the quality and desirability of this Kiyotada VII sheet within the collector market. **
Title: Shakkyō (石橋) — "The Stone Bridge"
Role: Hakugashira Shishi no Sei (白頭獅子の精) — "The White-Maned Lion Spirit"
Series: Gekikadō Zuihitsu (劇雅堂随筆) — Kiyotada VII's late deluxe kabuki role-portrait group
Technique: Woodblock print (mokuhanga), deluxe edition — blind embossing (karazuri) in the border and ground, gauffrage in the textiles, fine bokashi gradation in the sky
Date: c. 1939 (group c. 1938–1940)
Format: Large format — approx. 44.5 × 29 cm (17½ × 11½ in.) on thick deluxe washi
Signature & Seals: Signed Kiyotada (清忠) in cursive in the upper-right cartouche with red artist's seal; title cartouche 京鹿子娘道成寺 upper left, with adjoining role slip
------------------------------------
Impression & Colors: Fresh and vivid, with the deluxe printing showing to full effect — the blazing crimson ground bleeding into the cream of the wildly wind-tossed mane, the gleaming gold-mica kumadori striping the lion-spirit's mask, and the crisp black keyblock giving the mask its glowering, wide-eyed expression. The robe glimpsed at lower left and right carries a richly worked peony-and-arabesque pattern in coral, indigo, and jade against gold and black grounds. The wide outer border carries a blind-embossed diamond-lattice pattern matching the rest of the series.
Paper: Thick, high-quality washi with full margins. Light, even toning consistent with age is normal for a print of this period. A couple of minor foxing spots are noted, unobtrusive. Please check the images!
------------------------------------
About the Print
Shakkyō ("The Stone Bridge") descends from the Noh play of the same name, in which the monk Jakushō, travelling in China, comes upon a narrow stone bridge said to lead to the Pure Land of the bodhisattva Monju. As he waits, a shishi — the mythical lion that serves as Monju's messenger — appears among the peonies and performs a wild, ecstatic dance before returning across the bridge. The lion's dance, with its violent mane-tossing (kamifuri), became one of the great set-piece showcases of physical stamina and technique on the kabuki stage, and shakkyō-mono — the broad family of lion-dance pieces descended from this source, including the celebrated Renjishi and Kagami Jishi — remain some of the most frequently revived dance-dramas in the repertoire.
This sheet belongs to Torii Kiyotada VII's late Gekikadō Zuihitsu group, the deluxe run of kabuki role-portraits that closed out his career in the years just before his death in 1941. Where the Torii school's centuries-old stock in trade was the flat, bold theatre-signboard, Kiyotada VII pushed that same graphic confidence into these small-edition collector sheets — gold mica for the actor's kumadori, blind embossing in the mane and border — designs meant to be handled and admired rather than pasted to a theatre wall.
Seller's Story
I've been collecting Japanese woodblock prints for quite a while now — everything from classic ukiyo-e to shin-hanga and sōsaku-hanga. What started as a personal passion eventually turned into something more, and these days I source prints from auctions, galleries, and private collections across Japan and Europe.
With growing worldwide interest in Japanese woodblock prints, gallery prices have been climbing steadily. My goal is simple: offer high-quality, authentic prints at reasonable prices. I'm picky about what I sell — I look for pieces that have been stored properly, kept flat, and are free from serious foxing, stains, or damage.
I'm based in Germany, which means EU buyers won't deal with any import duties or taxes. For US buyers, original artworks under HS code 9702 are duty-free as well. And wherever you are, I pack everything carefully with multiple layers of protection so your print arrives safely.
If you have questions about a piece, just reach out. You will get access to contact me once you've won an item from my lots.
Details
Dynastic Style/Period
20th century
Country of Origin
Japan
Attribution
Original
Height
45 cm
Width
29 cm
Title of artwork
KIYOTADA IV • Shakkyō: The Lion Spirit • 1939 • Kabuki Japanese Woodblock Print •
Condition
Excellent condition
Provenance
Private collection
Authenticity
Original/official
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