James Michener (1907-1997)

The Modern Japanese Print: An Appreciation, 1962

Imperial-size folio with tipped-in original woodblock prints

Hiratsuka Un'ichi (1895 - 1997)

Byodo-in, Lakeside (Byōdō-in Chihan) 

21 3/8 x 15 1/4 inches (54.3 x 38.7 cm)

Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania Libraries

Yoshida Masaji
Earth No. 3 (Tsuchi 3)

21 3/8 x 15 1/4 inches (54.3 x 38.7 cm)

Philadelphia Museum of Art, Gift of
Carl Zigrosser, 1964

1964-201-1(9)

Two illustrations in the book, The Modern Japanese Print: An Appreciation  

In 1959, James A. Michener organized a two-part printmaking competition in Tokyo and New York City with the aim of promoting the creativity and expressiveness of modern Japanese printmakers. This deluxe limited edition, issued in a special wood case, contains original prints numbered and signed by the ten winning artists. One was the personal copy of one of the American jurors, Carl Zigrosser, senior curator of prints at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. A popular edition was later released by the publisher, Charles E. Tuttle.

The printmakers selected for the volume included both well-established masters and up-and coming artists of a younger generation. Hiratsuka Un’ichi was a prominent leader from the early years of the Sōsaku hanga movement, and later found a dedicated patron in Michener. Hiratsuka’s view of the Phoenix Hall (Byōdō-in) is representative of his signature postwar style of black and white. First trained in oil painting, Yoshida Masaji graduated from the prestigious Tokyo School of Fine Arts in 1941. Turning to printmaking after the war, he became one of the last students of the famous Sōsaku hanga artist Onchi Kōshirō (1891-1955), who was said to call Masaji one of his best pupils. Earth No. 3 is typical of Masaji’s geometric abstraction, layered forms, and softly textured grey tones highlighted by muted pinks and blues.

Jeannie Kenmotsu