“A Small Lane Along a Lattice Gate” (格子戸沿いの小路) — Koichi Maeda, signed Japanese woodblock print, 1998, edition 49/80, original Japanese frame

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“A Small Lane Along a Lattice Gate” (格子戸沿いの小路) — Koichi Maeda, signed Japanese woodblock print, 1998, edition 49/80, original Japanese frame

A masterfully composed Big moku-hanga woodblock print by Koichi Maeda (b. 1936, Tokyo), one of Japan’s most respected living printmakers working in the traditional ukiyo-e technique. This scene draws the eye down a narrow, sunlit cobblestone lane in an old merchant quarter, flanked on both sides by the koshido — the fine timber lattice screens — that give the print its name. Weathered wood facades in warm ochre and umber contrast beautifully with crisp whitewashed storehouse walls, tiled eaves, and a glimpse of indigo-blue shutters further down the street; a dense clipped hedge of deep green closes the composition at the vanishing point, and a single utility pole is the only concession to the present day in an otherwise timeless streetscape.

Maeda trained in the classical woodblock tradition and exhibited with the Nihon Hanga Kyokai (Japan Print Association) beginning in 1961. He is a member of the Shunyo-kai, the Japan Artists Association, and the Shizuoka Prefecture Woodblock Printers Association, and his work is held in institutional collections including the Art Institute of Chicago. Critics frequently note the affinity between Maeda’s atmospheric handling of light and architecture and that of Kawase Hasui, though Maeda’s work is distinguished by an almost architectural precision in rendering wood grain, tile, and stone — every lattice slat and paving crack individually carved and printed in register.

This sheet is a beautifully preserved example: pencil-signed “Koichi Maeda,” titled in Japanese, numbered 49/80, and dated ‘98 by the artist’s own hand. It is presented in its original Japanese frame — a dark hardwood moulding with a generous white mat that lets the architecture of the print breathe — ready to hang.

Dimensions: H 59.5 x W 77.5 x D 2 cm (H 23.4 x W 30.5 x D 0.8 in), framed

On the medium — moku-hanga: Traditional Japanese woodblock printing uses a separate hand-carved cherry-wood block for each color, hand-inked with water-based pigment and printed using a hand-held baren rather than a mechanical press. This produces the soft, slightly textured surface and layered depth of color visible here — particularly in the graduated shading of the tiled roofs and the subtle mottling of the hedge — qualities that are unique to the technique and impossible to replicate photographically.

Colors may slightly vary due to photographic lighting sources or your monitor settings.

The print will be shipped insured overseas in a custom made wooden case. 
Cost of transport to the US, Euro 225, is case included.

Wear consistent with age and use.

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