Koizumi Kishio – Hyakkaen Park at Mokoujima

Original woodblock print, hand-signed by the artist. First published in 1932. The current print was printed in the Showa period (1926 – 1989).

Image size (excluding margins): 28.0 * 37.1 cm (11.0 * 14.6 in).

The print is in fair state. There is variation in the strength of colors with this design, so it is hard to tell if it has been printed in somewhat subdued colors, or if the print has faded somewhat. There is an irregularity in the paper in the upper left corner, that was probably already there when printing, showing as a straight line. There are a few mild foxing spots, mainly in the upper image, near the margin. There is some soiling in the margin. On the back, remnants of a previous mounting remain.

The pictures shown here are from the print itself.

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Koizumi Kishio (1893–1945) is renowned as the creator of the print series One Hundred Pictures of Great Tokyo in the Showa Era. Created between 1928 and 1940, the series chronicles Tokyo in the years leading up to the war, and its prints remain widely sought after. As a member of the Sosaku Hanga movement, Koizumi carved and printed his woodblocks himself, working in a distinctive style that has retained its artistic appeal.

After completing One Hundred Pictures of Great Tokyo in the Showa Era, Koizumi began the series Thirty-six Views of the Sacred Peak of Mount Fuji. Although it was intended to comprise 36 designs, only 23 were finished. He became ill during the final years of the war, after being forced to evacuate Tokyo, and passed away in 1945.

See an overview of Koizumi Kishio's woodblock prints