After Eiichi Kotozuka – Evening Snow at Kiyamachi

Japanese woodblock print. The first edition of this design was published circa 1950. The current print was printed in the 20th century, 2nd half.

Kotozuka Eiichi was very accomplished in making snow scenes, and the current design is probably his best one. It depicts the Kiyamachi Dori in the old centre of Kyoto, along with the canalized river Takase. It is near Ponto-cho, the district known for Geisha and Maiko. Indeed, in the print two Maiko can be seen walking through the snow, next to lanterns and tea houses. In front, two willow trees are visible, often compared to Geisha because of their grace and strength.

The current print is a small version of the design however, and it is unclear by whom it was published. It is clearly, at the very least, inspired by Eiichi Kotozuka’s masterful design, but might be a knock-off. The blocks were not aligned correctly during printing, whereas normally Eiichi Kotozika prints are of high quality.

Image size (excluding margins): 14.9 * 22.4 cm (5.9 * 8.8 in).

The print is in very good state.

The pictures shown here are from the print itself.

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Eiichi Kotozuka (1906 – 1981) was a Japanese woodblock print artist, working in the Sosaku-hanga style. He depicted traditional woodblock print themes, such as flowers and landscapes, but also made interesting prints of Japanese cultural traditions.

See an overview of Eiichi Kotozuka's woodblock prints