Yamamura Koka – Maiko (Toyonari Yamamura – Maiko)

Original woodblock print. The first edition of this design was published in 1924. The current print was printed in the Heisei period (1989 – 2019).

The design shows a Maiko. Maikos were apprentice-Geishas and as such were trained in art forms meant for entertainment, such as dance and music.

Image size (excluding margins): 38.5 * 26.6 cm (15.2 * 10.5 in).

The print is in excellent state. There is a very slight wrinkle inside the image, near the upper right corner.

The pictures shown here are from the print itself.

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Yamamura Koka (1885-1942) started as a painter but was noticed by famous woodblock print publisher Watanabe Shozaburo, who then published a number of prints of Yamamura Koka’s designs. After this more prints of Yamamura Koka were published by a society specifically created for this purpose by a group of supporters, or self-published with support by the society. Yamamura Koka excelled at portraits and his prints in this genre are among some of the best of the Shin-hanga movement.

An overview of the woodblock prints by Yamamura Koka can be found here.

See an overview of Yamamura Koka's woodblock prints