Kaburaki Kiyokata · Kuchi-e · Beauty and Parrot · Meiji bijin-ga · 1907 - 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 kuchi-e frontispiece by Kaburaki Kiyokata, momentous beauty and parrot motif, measuring 30 × 22 cm, in good condition and from a private collection.
AI-assisted summary
Description from the seller
鏑木清方 — KABURAKI KIYOKATA (1878–1972)
Beauty and Parrot, kuchi-e frontispiece
Technique: Woodblock print (mokuhanga), polychrome, on Japanese washi
Date: 1907 (Meiji 40)
Period: Meiji era
Format: Kuchi-e, tate-e (portrait orientation), approx. 29 × 21 cm
Signature: Signed Kiyokata (清方), with red artist's seal, right
Condition: The colors and impression are well perserved. The paper has some minor foxing and some creases along the margins! Good condition. Please check the images before bidding.
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Description:
This frontispiece by Kiyokata is known in the trade as "Beauty and Parrot" and dates from 1907. It is a year that matters in his career: it was his last year working mainly as an illustrator before he turned to painting for exhibitions. His kuchi-e from these years are sought after as the best of his printed work, made while he was at the height of his popularity as a book illustrator.
THE ARTIST
Kaburaki Kiyokata was born in Kanda, Tokyo, in 1878. His father was Jōno Saigiku, a popular novelist who wrote as Sansantei Arindo and co-founded the Tokyo Nichinichi and Yamato newspapers. In 1891 Kiyokata became a pupil of Mizuno Toshikata, himself a pupil of Yoshitoshi, and received the name Kiyokata in 1893. Until 1907 he worked as an illustrator for newspapers and literary magazines, and he designed frontispieces and covers for novels by Izumi Kyōka, Shimazaki Tōson and other leading authors. When the government's Bunten exhibition opened in 1907 he turned to painting. His first entry was rejected, but in 1910 he won a prize for "Onna Kabuki", and he went on to become one of the great bijin-ga painters of the 20th century. His painting "Tsukiji Akashi-chō", lost for decades, caused a sensation when it was rediscovered in 2019. His former home in Kamakura is now the Kaburaki Kiyokata Memorial Art Museum. The family has confirmed that the correct reading of his name is Kaburaki, although it is often written Kaburagi.
THE KUCHI-E TRADITION
Kuchi-e are single-sheet woodblock prints that were folded and bound into the front of Japanese novels and literary magazines, from the 1890s until the early Taishō period. They continue the ukiyo-e tradition, often with carving and printing finer than Edo-period work. More than a hundred artists designed them. The first generation included Takeuchi Keishū, Tomioka Eisen, Mizuno Toshikata and Kajita Hankō. Kiyokata and his friend and rival Hirezaki Eihō, both descended from the Yoshitoshi line, were the two most popular designers of the next generation. In 2020 the Ōta Memorial Museum of Art in Tokyo devoted an exhibition to the two of them.
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.
鏑木清方 — KABURAKI KIYOKATA (1878–1972)
Beauty and Parrot, kuchi-e frontispiece
Technique: Woodblock print (mokuhanga), polychrome, on Japanese washi
Date: 1907 (Meiji 40)
Period: Meiji era
Format: Kuchi-e, tate-e (portrait orientation), approx. 29 × 21 cm
Signature: Signed Kiyokata (清方), with red artist's seal, right
Condition: The colors and impression are well perserved. The paper has some minor foxing and some creases along the margins! Good condition. Please check the images before bidding.
------------------------------------------
Description:
This frontispiece by Kiyokata is known in the trade as "Beauty and Parrot" and dates from 1907. It is a year that matters in his career: it was his last year working mainly as an illustrator before he turned to painting for exhibitions. His kuchi-e from these years are sought after as the best of his printed work, made while he was at the height of his popularity as a book illustrator.
THE ARTIST
Kaburaki Kiyokata was born in Kanda, Tokyo, in 1878. His father was Jōno Saigiku, a popular novelist who wrote as Sansantei Arindo and co-founded the Tokyo Nichinichi and Yamato newspapers. In 1891 Kiyokata became a pupil of Mizuno Toshikata, himself a pupil of Yoshitoshi, and received the name Kiyokata in 1893. Until 1907 he worked as an illustrator for newspapers and literary magazines, and he designed frontispieces and covers for novels by Izumi Kyōka, Shimazaki Tōson and other leading authors. When the government's Bunten exhibition opened in 1907 he turned to painting. His first entry was rejected, but in 1910 he won a prize for "Onna Kabuki", and he went on to become one of the great bijin-ga painters of the 20th century. His painting "Tsukiji Akashi-chō", lost for decades, caused a sensation when it was rediscovered in 2019. His former home in Kamakura is now the Kaburaki Kiyokata Memorial Art Museum. The family has confirmed that the correct reading of his name is Kaburaki, although it is often written Kaburagi.
THE KUCHI-E TRADITION
Kuchi-e are single-sheet woodblock prints that were folded and bound into the front of Japanese novels and literary magazines, from the 1890s until the early Taishō period. They continue the ukiyo-e tradition, often with carving and printing finer than Edo-period work. More than a hundred artists designed them. The first generation included Takeuchi Keishū, Tomioka Eisen, Mizuno Toshikata and Kajita Hankō. Kiyokata and his friend and rival Hirezaki Eihō, both descended from the Yoshitoshi line, were the two most popular designers of the next generation. In 2020 the Ōta Memorial Museum of Art in Tokyo devoted an exhibition to the two of them.
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)
Number of objects
1
Country of Origin
Japan
Attribution
Original
Height
30 cm
Width
22 cm
Title of artwork
Kaburaki Kiyokata · Kuchi-e · Beauty and Parrot · Meiji bijin-ga · 1907
Condition
Good condition
Provenance
Private collection
Authenticity
Original/official
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