Shoichi Kitamura – Kyoto Senbon Torii

Original woodblock print, hand-signed by the artist. First published in 2021.

The design of this print is a photograph, then carved into woodblocks and printed by Shoichi Kitamura. As such, this print departs from the more traditional process, where the original design is done by an artist. It is the second print of the Foto-Hanga series, of which the prints are all made in this way.

With the second design of this series Shoichi Kitamura demonstrated his craftmanship as as a carver and printer again, allowing him to capture details normally only captured by photographs. A number of elements have been represented perfectly: The shine of the Torii, the ruggedness of the pathway, the interplay of the shadows and bright light shining through the openings and the glimpses of the surrounding nature, lit up brightly in the light as well. As said before, these prints show the continuation of woodblock printers combining innovation with supreme traditional artisanship.

Image size (excluding margins): 36.9 * 24.5 cm (14.5 * 9.6 in).

The print is in excellent condition.

The pictures shown here are from the print itself.

An overview of the woodblock prints by Shoichi Kitamura can be found here.

See an overview of Shoichi Kitamura's woodblock prints