Gihachiro Okuyama - 柴田是真筆 ねずみ ("Mouse" by Shibata Zeshin)

Modern | Sōsaku Hanga Woodblock Print

A fabulous print by Gihachirō Okuyama (奥山儀八郎), self-printed with reference to Shibata Zeshin’s (柴田是真) celebrated nezumi (mouse) studies. 🐭✨ Zeshin - the great Edo-Meiji painter and lacquer artist - frequently depicted mice in a variety of media, from album leaves to lacquer paintings. Okuyama’s interpretation preserves the light, spontaneous brushwork of Zeshin’s 19th-century ink paintings while translating them into the precise craft of woodblock printmaking.

• Year & Edition: c. 1960-70s · Self-printed. Signed, titled, and dated in pencil to margin: 奥山儀八郎自摺 (Okuyama Gihachirō jizuri [self-printed]). Pencil-signed “Zeshin Shibata” and “Gihachiro Okuyama” to plate.
• Medium: Woodblock.
• Dimensions: Sheet: H: 25.50 cm x W: 34.50cm.
• Condition: A lovely delicate piece. Overall clean, slight fine pinhole fox spotting.
• Notes: This impression belongs to Okuyama’s series of homages to earlier masters, here referencing 柴田是真筆 ねずみ (“Mouse” by Shibata Zeshin). Zeshin (1807-1891) was among the foremost artists of the late Edo and Meiji periods, renowned for his lacquer painting and ink compositions. His mouse studies are represented in major collections, including the Cleveland Museum of Art and the British Museum. *Complete with original presentation sleeve.

About the Artist

Gihachiro Okuyama (1907-1981) moved seamlessly between sōsaku-hanga and shin-hanga, pairing self-carved monochrome impressions with vibrant collaborative colour prints. Trained by Kosaka Gajin and ukiyo-e master Ishii Kendō, he fused bold modern graphics with classical technique. After the war he founded the Japan Print Institute and his Matsudo studio; his own prints - and woodblock homages to Hiroshige and Van Gogh - now appear in major museum collections worldwide. [ ← View All Works by Gihachiro Okuyama]