115 - Koson: Crow on a Snowy Bough

Ohara Koson: Crow on a Snowy Bough

This is a kachô-e by Ohara Koson (1877-1945), who was a brilliant artist when it comes to kachô-e within the shin hanga movement.

Kachô-e is a subgenre of ukiyo-e, shin hanga and Japanese art in general. Originally, its motives were flowers and birds, but more generally, it comprises flora and fauna. 

Japanese names are written with the family name first. Artists are mostly signing with their given name or a pseudonym. Ohara Koson signed his works "Koson", later "Shōson", and sometimes "Hoson".

This print, Crow on a Snowy Bough, was made some time between 1900 and 1910.

114 - Nishikawa Sukenobu: On the Wisdom of Animals

Nishikawa Sukenobu: On the Wisdom of Animals

Nishikawa Sukenobu (1671-1750) was one of the earliest ukiyo-e artists; it is possible he was Harunobu's teacher, but that cannot be verified.

I have not been able to establish from which exact year this print is, but the colour print was still not invented.

113 - Shōtei: Katsushika

Shōtei: Katsushika

Takahashi Shōtei (1871-1945) is considered as the creator of a style called shin-hanga. That means "new prints" and refers to a revival of ukiyo-e and is, in fact, evolved ukiyo-e.

The term was coined by publisher Watanabe Shōzaburō in 1915. He wanted to mark that it was not commercial mass art as ukiyo-e had been; contrary to ukiyo-e, it was also directed mainly to a western audience. Shin-hanga never became popular in Japan.

112 - Utamaro: Three Lucky New Year Dreams

Utamaro: Three Lucky New Year Dreams

This is a Benigirai-e by Utamaro from about 1800: Three Lucky New Year Dreams: Fuji, Falcon, Eggplant.

Benigirai-e translates to "picture hating red". It's a style where the artist avoids using red or reddish tones. It was fashionable in the 1780s.

111 - Tsukimaro: Painting

Tsukimaro: Painting

Kitagawa Tsukimaro (1804-1836) was Utamaro's student. This is a beautiful painting (colour on silk) in a style where ukiyo-e has absorbed some Western and Chinese elements. A rare combination.

The girl is not Japanese, but clearly Chinese. Probably it is Yang Guifei, concubine of the Tang emperor Xuanzong, who ruled China 712-756. She was known as China's most beautiful woman. The emperor is said to have neglected his empire for her sake, which caused Tang China to decline. She ended up executed by strangulation after the An Lushan rebellion. Her life is the subject of a large number of Chinese dramas and poems.

110 - Nobukazu: A princess and her guard

Nobukazu: A princess and her guard

A  princess and her guard by Nobukazu. Not much is known about this print, but it is probably from about 1890.

Note the two black spots over the eyes of the princess. They are painted eyebrows. The beauty ideal of the times dictated that the real eyebrows were shaved off and replaced with painted lines extremely high up on the forehead.

109 - Yoshitoshi: Komori no godanme

Yoshitoshi: Komori no godanme

Komori no godanme (Bats in the Fifth Act of Chūshingura [Treasury of Loyal Retainers]), from an untilted series known as Yoshitoshi ryakuga (Sketches by Yoshitoshi) 1880-1883.

In the past in Japan, as well as in China, bats were symbols of good luck. But the modern Japanese view is influenced by western tradition, where bats have a more ominous meaning - so the modern symbolic meaning of a bat is more complex. During the Edo period, however, the old view of the bat as an entirely good omen prevailed.