<b>MT. FUJI</b> / Takehisa Yumeji1930s<B>RESERVED</B></em>

Details

Most known for his paintings and sketches, Yumeji was an entrepreneur and opened his own storefront dedicated to his work. A significant amount of his inventory utilized his design elements in novel and unique ways for the period and ended up as scarfs and stationery. Having a strong aptitude for the graphic arts, Yumeji produced a handful of self-directed woodblock print designs, which lead him to produce work for book covers and illustrations for music scores.

It is interesting to note, prior to WWII, Japan had the largest population of musical literacy in the world. Most people purchased scores to perform music at home. During this time, important 20th-century artists such as Koshiro Onchi executed design covers for these musical scores.

Although most music scores were executed as offset lithography produced via mechanical reproduction, there were a number of small art-inspired productions done in woodblock prints. This design happens to be one executed entirely in woodblock print with an inspired design by Yumeji. The front cover depicts a majestic Mt. Fuji towering over a nearby village in autumn as the smoke from kitchen fires emanates past Fuji’s shadow.

The woodgrain is particularly well pronounced in the design—one can see the pattern inside Mt. Fuji—recalling the early impressions of Hokusai’s Red Fuji, as the circular woodgrain pattern was located almost exactly where it is placed in Yumeji’s design. The score folds out to reveal the musical composition with an inset that includes another design by Yumeji of a young boy in Western dress playing a recorder—the preferred instrument by many of Japan’s musically included populace. The back cover of the score showcases a close-up of a design of grapes, perhaps suggesting the period when this music would be played—in the fall at harvest time.

Connoisseur's Note

Perhaps of all artists active in this period, Yumeji’s style was best suited for musical scores, as his work encompasses a lyrical quality that is poetic and dramatic. This work showcases Yumeji’s artistic strengths and is produced as a beautiful work of art. The carving and printing of the score are unrivaled in quality. The design is striking and is one of only a few Yumeji designs that feature Mt. Fuji. Although these scores at the time were seen as ephemera, the attention to detail and artistic quality of this work transcends the genre of the design and is certainly in the category of 20th-century Japanese prints of the period.