Yowsaku Sekino Peony Japanese Gold Leaf Very Large Rare Woodblock Print

Peony
Very Large Print, Whole Background Gold Leaf that Barely Shows its Splendor in Image
5/50, 35 1/4" x 24"
2012 SKO2 $2,450

Yousaku Sekino (variously translated as Yowsaku or Yosaku, b. 1944) learned the art of woodblock printing from his father, Junichiro Sekino, expanding on specialized techniques of highlighting prints with gold and platinum leaf. In 1976 he opened his own printing workshop and began as a freelance moku hanga artist.
The younger Sekino is one of the few able to put watercolor inks onto metal leaf. Each image requires at least 10 carved woodblocks to produce the final image. A multi-award winner from Shunyo-kai artists association, of which he is a member, Sekino's work is collected by the Portland Museum in Oregon.

Each woodblock is numbered and published in limited editions. Please see item title for number, year and size. All are in pristine condition, very delicate, enhanced with genuine gold leaf which the photographs cannot do justice to.

At the 2015 opening reception of the 60th exhibition of the CWAJ, Empress Michiko purchased the print "Sakura, Cherry Blossoms" for the Imperial Palace, of which we have just added copy 25/50 to our inventory. The 4 prints we now feature are very large at 35 1/4 by 24 inches long and resplendent with gold leaf showing the best loved flowers of Japan. These prints are a rare treasure, with the gold leaf having soared in value since their creation and their creating barely possible today.