Cherry Tree in Kawagoe
Cherry Tree in Kawagoe, Hiroshi Yoshida (1876-1950), woodblock print, 1935
Hiroshi Yoshida was trained as an artist from the time he was a young man, but it wasn’t until he was in his forties that he became interested in the art of woodblock printing. While traditionally woodblock printing observed strict divisions of labor between the artist, carver and printer, Hiroshi Yoshida was intimately involved in all of these steps. This level of involvement was continued by the other artists in this exhibit.
A great traveler, Yoshida’s prints are as often of scenes outside of Japan as in his own country. This print, Cherry Tree in Kawagoe, is from a series of eight prints that depict various scenes from the sakura or cherry blossom season, a highlight of Japan’s spring. Traditionally dressed figures stand in a temple complex beneath the branches of a blooming but very old Sakura tree. This print was originally created in 1935 but thisparticular copy of the print was done posthumously from the original blocks by Hiroshi Yoshida’s son, Toshi.
Alexander Esse and Stephanie Cargile