Masao Ido — “Ayu no Yado Tsutaya” (鮎の宿 つたや) — limited edition woodblock print

Masao Ido — “Ayu no Yado Tsutaya” (鮎の宿 つたや) — Limited Edition Woodblock Print, 154/200, Signed & Dated 1990, with Original Kato Frame

A rare and captivating work by one of Japan’s most celebrated postwar woodblock printmakers, this panoramic print by Masao Ido (井堂雅夫, 1945–2016) depicts the historic Tsutaya inn — Ayu no Yado Tsutaya — nestled in the ancient precincts of Oku-Saga, Kyoto. The composition draws the eye across the inn’s thick, moss-green thatched roof, past swaying noren curtains bearing the character つたや (Tsutaya), to a low table draped in a vivid red cloth set before the entrance — a single ceramic cup resting upon it, as if time has briefly paused.

The subject is richly layered in history. Tsutaya is one of two teahouse-restaurants beside the torii gate in Oku-Saga — both with a lineage of over 400 years — and both celebrated for their ayu (sweetfish) cuisine.  The restaurant’s specialty is ayu sourced from the clear waters of the Hozugawa river, served as sashimi or charcoal-grilled with salt, with the season running from June to September.  Ido’s print captures this atmosphere with an intimacy that only a Kyoto native could conjure — the quiet pride of a place that has fed pilgrims and travelers for four centuries.

The print is in the horizontal yoko-e format, a deliberate compositional choice that allows the full facade of the inn to breathe across the picture plane. Ido’s mastery of bokashi (gradated color printing) is evident in the subtle tonal layering of the thatch and stonework, while the controlled palette of deep grey, earthy gold, moss green, and lacquer red evokes the season and the stillness of early morning. The noren curtains — printed with extraordinary textural nuance — are almost tangible. The splash of red from the cloth-covered table anchors the foreground with understated brilliance, drawing the eye inward toward the darkened facade and the lantern bearing the inn’s name. In the bottom right corner, the artist’s red seal (落款, rakkan) completes the composition.

Fully authenticated: the print is titled, dated (1990), numbered 154/200, and hand-signed by Masao Ido in pencil in the lower margin — making this a fully documented, limited edition work from the artist’s mature period.

The print comes in its original Japanese frame by the renowned Kato framing company, Tokyo — a dark lacquered hardwood frame with cream-coloured linen matting and a discreet gold inner rule, executed to the highest standard of Japanese fine art presentation.

About Masao Ido (1945–2016)

Masao Ido was born in 1945 in Manchuria during the final months of World War II. After returning to Japan, he spent his early childhood in rural Iwate before relocating to Kyoto at the age of fourteen — a city that would define his entire artistic identity.  He apprenticed to a textile dyer, and by age twenty was designing and dyeing his own obi and kimono fabric. After discovering the work of Kiyoshi Saito, he turned to woodblock printmaking, eventually opening his own workshop and gallery in Kyoto in 1982. 

His works are held in major international collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Kyoto and Tokyo National Museums, and the Florence Municipal Museum.  A key figure in the sōsaku-hanga (creative print) movement, Ido developed a distinctive style through his delicate use of color and a focus on traditional Japanese settings — temples, gardens, and natural vistas — evoking a sense of quiet beauty and timelessness.  His signature deep mossy greens are so recognisable among collectors that they are informally known as “Ido green.”

About Japanese Woodblock Printing

The art of mokuhanga (木版画) — traditional Japanese woodblock printing — dates back over a thousand years and reached its classical zenith during the Edo period (1603–1868) with the ukiyo-e masters. The process is entirely handmade: the artist carves a separate wooden block for each color, applies water-based pigment, and transfers the impression to washi (Japanese multigrain paper) by hand rubbing with a baren. A single print may require twenty or more individually carved and registered blocks. The result is a surface of extraordinary depth, warmth, and textural richness impossible to achieve by any mechanical means — which is why fine original woodblock prints remain among the most sought-after works in the Asian art market.

Dimensions:
37 × 60 × 2 cm (14.6 × 23.6 × 0.8 in)
(framed, including original Kato frame)

Medium: Woodblock print (mokuhanga) on Japanese washi paper
Edition: 154/200
Date: 1990
Signature: Signed, titled, numbered, and dated in pencil by the artist; red artist’s seal lower right
Frame: Original Japanese hardwood frame by Kato Framing, Tokyo
Condition: Excellent; print bright and unfaded

A beautiful and deeply considered work — one of Ido’s finest Kyoto subjects, presented in pristine original condition. A significant piece for any serious collector of Japanese prints or Asian art.

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 245, is case included.

Wear consistent with age and use.

We ship worldwide. Request a shipping quote by e-mail to tacojoustra@vintageobjects.com mentioning the piece you are interested in.

Pick-up by appointment only.

We are a 1stDibs Platinum 5 Star Dealer.