Tanaka Yohu Woodblock 1892 Floral Design with Gold

Floral Design, enhanced with gold
6 ½ by 9 ½ inches
TKY55 $39 

On a recent trip to Japan, we came across these lovely woodblock prints from Kogei Shinzu or New Designs for the Applied Arts, created by Tanaka Yohu and published by Yamada in 1892. Many of these prints depict designs found on kimonos. Others are diptychs, one image spread across two plates sold together. Each print measures approximately 6 ½ by 9 ½ inches and is on softly aged double washi paper with bright colors, some depicting fantastic dragons, mythological creatures, fish and other decorative elements. Some of the prints are enhanced with genuine silver and gold, and a few have mostly marginal foxing as shown.