ANTIQUE ORIGINAL JAPANESE DIPTYCH WOODBLOCK PRINTS BY TSUKIOKA KOGYO (1869-1927) TITLED ATAKA, 19.5IN x 24IN (50cm x 61cm)

Inventory #: 25-257 - $675.00

Antique original Japanese diptych, woodblock prints by Tsukioka Kogyo (1869-1927) titled Ataka, from the series One Hundred Nōh Plays (Nōgaku Hyakuban). These prints illustrate two scenes from the Noh play "Ataka," which recounts the story of Minamoto no Yoshitsune and his loyal retainer Benkei, seeking to pass a barrier while disguised as mountain priests. In the print on the left, the figure on the right is likely Benkei, and the one kneeling with the hat is Yoshitsune in disguise. In the print on the right, Yoshitshune is on the left and Benkei is on the right. This diptych is an original from the Taishō period, 1922-26. These prints are double matted and framed under glass in two, matching wood and gold trimmed frames. With frames, each piece measures 19.5 inches x 24 inches. This diptych was acquired from a Metro Washington DC estate.

About the Artist: Kōgyo Tsukioka, sometimes called Kōgyo Sakamak (1869-1927) was a Japanese artist of the Meiji period. He was a student and adopted son of Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, and also studied with Ogata Gekkō. Although Kōgyo sometimes painted other subjects, for most of his career he made pictures of Japanese Noh theatre, either as large-scale paintings or colored woodblock prints. Many of the latter were published in series and sold as multi-volume sets. Some sets, such as Nōgaku zue, have been preserved as albums in their original bindings, including accordion-style bindings known as orihon, while other sets such as Nōga taikan, were issued in sewn bindings known as yamato toji. Although most bound sets belong to institutional collections, individual prints by Kōgyo can still be found through dealers specializing in Japanese prints.