Artist: Taki Shusui (瀧 秀水) Titel: Hajirai (はじらい) – Shy Technique: Original woodblock print (sōsaku hanga) — self-drawn, self-carved, self-printed Date: 1996 Edition: 83/200, hand-numbered and hand-signed in pencil Format: Ōban tate-e (large vertical format) 41.5*28.5 cm Signature: "Shusui '96" in pencil (lower right), with artist's seal (lower left) 1. Impression & Colors: This impression is Excellent with strong, fresh colors and crisp lines throughout. The delicate skin tones, the Mica, the deep black of the hair, and the rich gray bokashi of the background are all well preserved. 2. Paper: Overall very good condition with no significant issues noted. Some minor spot are actually washi fiber. On the verso there are minor remnant of tape on the corners. 3. Hajirai (Shy) – A Moment of Intimate Vulnerability "Hajirai" depicts a young woman in a moment of intimate vulnerability. Her kimono has slipped from her shoulders, revealing a graceful expanse of bare skin as she looks downward with a quiet, inward expression. The composition focuses entirely on the interplay between the voluminous black hair — rendered with extraordinary precision — and the soft, luminous skin tones against a moody gray background achieved through masterful bokashi (gradation) printing. A red-and-white patterned kimono with shibori-like motifs frames the lower portion of the composition, its warmth contrasting with the cool tones of the background. The emotional restraint of the scene — neither overtly sensual nor coldly formal — places this work firmly in the tradition of the finest bijin-ga, where beauty is expressed through subtlety, gesture, and atmosphere rather than explicit display. Every line in this print — from the impossibly fine strands of the shimada-style coiffure to the geometric pattern of the kimono — was drawn, carved into the woodblock, and printed by one pair of hands. 4. Shusui Taki: Figurative Sōsaku Hanga at Its Finest At first glance, most collectors would assume this is a shin-hanga print — the product of a traditional division of labor between artist, carver, and printer. The refinement of line, the flawless gradation of the gray background, the exquisite rendering of the hair strand by strand, the subtle blush on the cheeks and lips — all of this suggests the polished craftsmanship of a collaborative workshop production. It is not. This is sōsaku hanga — a creative print — meaning Shusui Taki designed, carved, and printed this work entirely by himself. Born in 1938, Taki did not begin making woodblock prints until he was in his fifties, inspired by the Edo-period beauty prints of Keisai Eisen. Where most sōsaku hanga artists moved toward abstraction and away from traditional subjects, Taki moved toward them — channeling the spirit of ukiyo-e bijin-ga through the sōsaku hanga philosophy of total artistic authorship. His prints offer the emotional resonance and visual sophistication of traditional bijin-ga combined with the artistic integrity and rarity inherent in a limited-edition, single-artist production. Works by Shusui Taki are highly desirable and rarely seen outside Japan. 5. Rarity & Market This striking bijin-ga by Shusui Taki previously sold on Artelino for $1,300 (2021) — a price reflecting its exceptional rarity and artistic merit outside Japan. With an edition of just 200 impressions, hand-signed and numbered, and virtually no presence on the international secondary market, prints like "Hajirai" represent an exceptional finding. https://www.artelino.com/show/japanese_single_print.asp?mbk=89320