<b>TWELVE STORY BUILDING, ASAKUSA </b> / Kogan Tobari1912-1913<b>SOLD</b></em>

Details

Kogan Tobari was one of the first generations of Japanese woodblock print artists who traveled to Europe and the United States and actively engaged within varied artistic communities while abroad. As a result of his travels, his work is a blend of traditional Japanese aesthetics within the confines of Western artistic perspectives. In addition to printmaking, Tobari was also an accomplished sculptor, producing several works in plaster and bronze. Although Tobari only produced a handful of self-directed Sosaku Hanga, his prints were highly influential to future leaders of the genre such as Koshiro Onchi and Unichi Hiratuska.

In this design, Tobari showcases a strikingly modern building executed in a Western style of architecture. The building was a towering figure in Tokyo’s Asakusa neighborhood—standing twelve stories high and easily one of the tallest buildings in Tokyo when it was erected. The design contains very little ornamentation, Tobari elected a simple but direct design to showcase the foreign quality of the architecture. In addition to being a compelling sosaku hanga design, the print is an important historical document as the building was tragically lost to the Great Kanto earthquake of 1923.

Connoisseur's Note

Tobari’s prints are highly sought after by sosaku hanga aficionados and institutions. Though his print designs were compelling, the artist did not produce them in quantity and are among the rarest of the sosaku hanga genre. Of his body of work, Tobari’s print output number fewer than 20 designs. The pencil signature at the bottom further bolsters this impression’s desirability as the artist did not always pencil sign his prints in Western script.