Gihachiro Okuyama’s mid-century woodblock “Coffee Itinerary VOC Advertising Poster” commemorates Japan’s first taste of coffee, featuring four elegantly attired figures - likely Dutch East India Company (VOC) opperhoofden and Dejima port chiefs - gathered around a central samovar beneath the bold title 珈琲遍歴 (“Coffee Itinerary”). The VOC crest underscores the 17th-18th-century introduction of coffee to Nagasaki’s Dejima, while the design reflects Okuyama’s own 1957 book of the same name and his passion for chronicling Japan’s coffee heritage. ☕🌏
- Year & Edition: Circa 1957; signed & titled in pencil to margins; “Gihachi” seal lower right.
- Medium: Woodblock.
- Dimensions: Sheet H: 53.75 cm × W: 38.25 cm.
- Condition: Minor creases, browning, and tape residue to margins/verso; image remains strong and striking.
- Notes: A rare & remarkable print by Okuyama, it likely accompanied or promoted his 1957 book 珈琲遍歴 (“Coffee Itinerary”). The scene echoes the Dutch East India Company’s arrival of coffee via Dejima around 1690. Figures may represent VOC traders and port chiefs. Coffee as a print theme endures in Okuyama’s lineage: his son Gijin Okuyama published The History of Coffee series circa 1990.
