Art Blog #147

Art in Focus - Tomikichiro Tokuriki 'Evening scene of Port Hamaootsu, Shinga Prefecture' - Japanese Woodblock Print

Series: Publisher Uchida

Title or Subject: Evening Scene of Port Hamaootsu, Shiga Prefecture

Signature or Seal: Signature and Seal

Date: Not Dated (1950's)

Paper Size: 11 1/2 x 10 1/4 Inches

Impression/Colour/Condition: Good/Good/Good

Condition Details: Good State

The artist: Tokuriki Tomikichirō, 1902–2000

is recognized as one of the most influential printmakers of the 20th century, renowned for his exceptional skill in blending age-old Kyoto traditions with the changing aesthetics of modern Japanese art. As a key figure in the shin-hanga and sōsaku-hanga movements, Tokuriki produced works that reflect both the preservation of heritage and the essence of artistic innovation.

Born into a prominent Kyoto family of painters and craftsmen, Tokuriki grew up in an environment deeply rooted in classical Japanese culture. He attended the Kyoto City School of Fine Arts and Crafts and later the Kyoto Municipal School of Painting, where he honed his understanding of traditional Nihonga techniques alongside the modernizing influences that shaped early 20th-century Japanese art.

Hamaootsu Port - Present day

Shiga Prefecture:

Shiga was known as Ōmi Province or Gōshū before the prefectural system was established.[5] Omi was a neighbor of Nara and Kyoto, at the junction of western and eastern Japan. During the period 667 to 672, Emperor Tenji founded a palace in Otsu. In 742, Emperor Shōmu founded a palace in Shigaraki. In the early Heian period, Saichō was born in the north of Otsu and founded Enryaku-ji, the center of Tendai and a UNESCO World Heritage Site and monument of Ancient Kyoto now.

Courtesy of www.connorcontemporary.com