The Arima Ghost Cat - Snow, Moon and Flowers - Japanese Woodblock Print - - Toyohara Yoshu Chikanobu (1838-1912) - Japan - Meiji period (1868-1912)
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Selected by Giovanni Bottero
Holds a master’s in Japanese art history with over 10 years’ expertise in Asian art.
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Original Meiji-period Japanese woodblock print by Toyohara Yoshu Chikanobu, titled The Arima Ghost Cat - Snow, Moon and Flowers, in Ōban format (approx. 36 × 24 cm), from the Setsugekka series, with provenance in a private collection and excellent condition.
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Description from the seller
** This design is known in two colour versions: a darker-toned impression, and the present one. This impression is a masterpiece of meji colours. The turquoise, crimson, pink, green and blue work together beautifully across the whole design. A remarkable sheet from the series **
Artist: Toyohara (Yōshū) Chikanobu (楊洲周延, 1838–1912)
Title: 雪月花 山城 洛外之花 紀貫之の娘 鶯宿梅の古事 (Setsugekka: Yamashiro – Rakugai no hana, Ki no Tsurayuki no musume, Ōshukubai no koji). Yamashiro: Flowers of the Capital Suburbs, the Daughter of Ki no Tsurayuki and the Tale of the Warbler's Plum Tree
Series: Setsugekka (雪月花, Snow, Moon and Flowers)
Publisher: Kobayashi Tetsujirō (小林鉄次郎)
Date: 1885 (Meiji 18)
Technique: Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and colour on paper
Format: Ōban tate-e, approx. 36 × 24 cm
-----------------------------------
Condition: Excellent impression with strong unfaded colour — the deep crimsons and bokashi in the background are fully preserved. Full margins with the complete publication data intact. Some minor ink transfers. A museum quality impression!
-----------------------------------
About the print:
This is the "flower" design for Yamashiro, the province around Kyoto, and it tells one of the best-loved poetic anecdotes of the Heian court: the story of the Ōshukubai (鶯宿梅), the "plum tree where the warbler lodges."
Ki no Tsurayuki (c. 872–945) was one of the greatest poets of early Japan. He was the chief compiler of the Kokinshū, the first imperial poetry anthology, and the author of the Tosa Diary. The story, recorded in the historical tale Ōkagami, is set in the reign of Emperor Murakami. When the plum tree in front of the emperor's residence in the palace died, his servants searched the capital for a replacement and found a fine old tree at the house of Tsurayuki's daughter. Before they took it away, she tied a poem to one of its branches:
Since it is an imperial command, I humbly obey. But if the warbler asks where its home has gone, what shall I tell it?
The poem appears in the fan-shaped inset at the top of the print. When the emperor read it, he was moved, and in the popular retelling he returned the tree to her. The story became a classic example of how a single well-made poem could reach even the emperor.
-----------------------------------
About the Setsugekka series:
The Setsugekka series, published between 1884 and 1886 by the prestigious publisher Kobayashi Tetsujirō, comprises fifty individual ōban prints. Its title derives from an ancient Chinese poetic motif associating snow, moon and flowers with the seasons, but the true subject of the series is a sweeping panorama of Japanese history, mythology and literature — from court tales and Noh drama to warrior legends and supernatural folklore. The thematic range is extraordinary: across fifty designs, Chikanobu moves from Heian-era romance to Sengoku battlefield drama, from Chinese legend to the ghost stories of Edo, treating each subject with a distinctive compositional approach and mood. In this respect, the Setsugekka stands alongside Yoshitoshi's Tsuki Hyakushi (One Hundred Aspects of the Moon) as one of the great narrative series of the late nineteenth century, and the two are regularly compared by scholars and collectors alike.
What sets the Setsugekka apart visually is the richness and durability of its pigments. Spectroscopic research published in Heritage Science has demonstrated that the dominant red pigment in nishiki-e prints of this precise period (1884–1886) was not aniline dye — as is commonly assumed for Meiji prints — but cochineal carmine, a lake pigment formed from carminic acid precipitated with aluminium salts into an insoluble compound, typically mixed with vermilion (mercuric sulfide), a wholly inorganic mineral pigment. This carmine-vermilion combination produces the deep, saturated crimsons visible in the present print and accounts for their remarkable resistance to fading and water damage — a stark contrast to the fugitive naphthol reds that would appear in cheaper prints only after 1889. Combined with Kobayashi Tetsujirō's premium production standards — thicker pigment applications, high-quality paper, and deluxe printing techniques including fine bokashi and occasional metallic accents — the Setsugekka prints have retained their chromatic intensity with astonishing fidelity over nearly a century and a half.
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 design is known in two colour versions: a darker-toned impression, and the present one. This impression is a masterpiece of meji colours. The turquoise, crimson, pink, green and blue work together beautifully across the whole design. A remarkable sheet from the series **
Artist: Toyohara (Yōshū) Chikanobu (楊洲周延, 1838–1912)
Title: 雪月花 山城 洛外之花 紀貫之の娘 鶯宿梅の古事 (Setsugekka: Yamashiro – Rakugai no hana, Ki no Tsurayuki no musume, Ōshukubai no koji). Yamashiro: Flowers of the Capital Suburbs, the Daughter of Ki no Tsurayuki and the Tale of the Warbler's Plum Tree
Series: Setsugekka (雪月花, Snow, Moon and Flowers)
Publisher: Kobayashi Tetsujirō (小林鉄次郎)
Date: 1885 (Meiji 18)
Technique: Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and colour on paper
Format: Ōban tate-e, approx. 36 × 24 cm
-----------------------------------
Condition: Excellent impression with strong unfaded colour — the deep crimsons and bokashi in the background are fully preserved. Full margins with the complete publication data intact. Some minor ink transfers. A museum quality impression!
-----------------------------------
About the print:
This is the "flower" design for Yamashiro, the province around Kyoto, and it tells one of the best-loved poetic anecdotes of the Heian court: the story of the Ōshukubai (鶯宿梅), the "plum tree where the warbler lodges."
Ki no Tsurayuki (c. 872–945) was one of the greatest poets of early Japan. He was the chief compiler of the Kokinshū, the first imperial poetry anthology, and the author of the Tosa Diary. The story, recorded in the historical tale Ōkagami, is set in the reign of Emperor Murakami. When the plum tree in front of the emperor's residence in the palace died, his servants searched the capital for a replacement and found a fine old tree at the house of Tsurayuki's daughter. Before they took it away, she tied a poem to one of its branches:
Since it is an imperial command, I humbly obey. But if the warbler asks where its home has gone, what shall I tell it?
The poem appears in the fan-shaped inset at the top of the print. When the emperor read it, he was moved, and in the popular retelling he returned the tree to her. The story became a classic example of how a single well-made poem could reach even the emperor.
-----------------------------------
About the Setsugekka series:
The Setsugekka series, published between 1884 and 1886 by the prestigious publisher Kobayashi Tetsujirō, comprises fifty individual ōban prints. Its title derives from an ancient Chinese poetic motif associating snow, moon and flowers with the seasons, but the true subject of the series is a sweeping panorama of Japanese history, mythology and literature — from court tales and Noh drama to warrior legends and supernatural folklore. The thematic range is extraordinary: across fifty designs, Chikanobu moves from Heian-era romance to Sengoku battlefield drama, from Chinese legend to the ghost stories of Edo, treating each subject with a distinctive compositional approach and mood. In this respect, the Setsugekka stands alongside Yoshitoshi's Tsuki Hyakushi (One Hundred Aspects of the Moon) as one of the great narrative series of the late nineteenth century, and the two are regularly compared by scholars and collectors alike.
What sets the Setsugekka apart visually is the richness and durability of its pigments. Spectroscopic research published in Heritage Science has demonstrated that the dominant red pigment in nishiki-e prints of this precise period (1884–1886) was not aniline dye — as is commonly assumed for Meiji prints — but cochineal carmine, a lake pigment formed from carminic acid precipitated with aluminium salts into an insoluble compound, typically mixed with vermilion (mercuric sulfide), a wholly inorganic mineral pigment. This carmine-vermilion combination produces the deep, saturated crimsons visible in the present print and accounts for their remarkable resistance to fading and water damage — a stark contrast to the fugitive naphthol reds that would appear in cheaper prints only after 1889. Combined with Kobayashi Tetsujirō's premium production standards — thicker pigment applications, high-quality paper, and deluxe printing techniques including fine bokashi and occasional metallic accents — the Setsugekka prints have retained their chromatic intensity with astonishing fidelity over nearly a century and a half.
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
Meiji period (1868-1912)
Artist
Toyohara Yoshu Chikanobu (1838-1912)
Country of Origin
Japan
Attribution
Original
Height
36 cm
Width
24 cm
Title of artwork
The Arima Ghost Cat - Snow, Moon and Flowers - Japanese Woodblock Print -
Condition
Excellent condition
Provenance
Private collection
Authenticity
Original/official
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