[Go Back]  [New Search]    Comparing Artwork Details for Konen Uehara (1878-1940) "Ryokoku Bridge at Night"         

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Notes (1st edition)
Publisher (this edition): Kobayashi Bunshichi Kobayashi Bunshichi
Date of this item:
Notes (this edition)
These notes were written by the original owner/seller/auctioner of the item and may be inaccurate.: 		Uehara Konen Japanese Woodblock Print Cormorant Boats & Bridge in Moonlight. Measures in inches: 14 x 6 3/4 and the condition is Has thinning. Artist: Uehara Konen (1878-1940)
Title: Bridge and the Moon' Pre-Earthquake Print
Date: c1910-1923
Medium: Woodblock Print
Size: 14.25" x 6.5"

This original pre-earthquake woodblock print by Uehara Konen is titled 'Bridge and the Moon'. It depicts a dark night scene, with a wonderful long view of a bridge, which goes end to end on the print, with many travelers crossing the bridge, and several ferry boats on the water, all lantern lit, with a full moon lighting the night. It is marked with red seals on the lower right, including Konen's cipher, along with the seal of the publisher Kobayashi Bunsichi in the form of a maple leaf. This publisher was active from 1887-1923. His printing studio was destroyed in the Great Kanto earthquake in 1923, so this print predates the disaster. We researched this artist extensively. He produced several prints, many in this evening, moon and silhouetted style. All are without margins, so we believe it was a nuance of this artist in particular. According to the British Museum archives, Konen was born in Tokyo, and studied first under Kajita Hanko (1870-1917) and then with Matsumoto Fuko (1840-1923). He spent most of his painting career on landscape, showing at official exhibitions and receiving prizes and awards regularly. He was influenced by the moist brushwork of Imamura Shiko (1880-1916). According to Watanabe (Watanabe, 1936), he worked as an official in the Imperial Household and the Foreign Ministry, and at one time was associated with Okakura Tenshin (1862-1913). Only a handful of woodblock prints by him are known, a few published before the Kanto earthquake by Kobayashi Bunshichi, the remainder after it by Watanabe. All are landscape or townscape subjects.
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