Junko Hanahara - おじさんたちの寄るところ (Where the Regulars Gather)

Contemporary Woodblock Print

A fabulous print by Junko Hanahara depicting a narrow izakaya, titled おじさんたちの寄るところ (Where the Regulars Gather) 🍶🏮. The scene centres on characters crowded around the counter, some standing in work attire, others seated and leaning in as conversations chat. Regulars hold beers and glasses mid-sentence, another turns sideways to listen, while a patron focuses on food in front of him. Behind the counter, the kitchen shares the same tight space - pots on the stove, bowls close at hand, and staff cooking and serving within arm’s reach of the customers. Handwritten signs and notices dot the wall above, half-read and well-worn, reinforcing the sense of a place used daily. Beneath the counter, two cats sit quietly among the stools, settled and unbothered by the noise above. A spectacular piece from a very small edition.

• Year & Edition: 2019. Edition of 5. (signed, titled, & editioned in pencil).
  
• Medium: Woodblock.
  
• Dimensions: Sheet H 48.25 cm × W 66.00 cm. Image H 39.00 cm × W 57.75 cm.
  
• Condition: Direct from the artist’s studio.
• Notes: Where the Regulars Gather points to a place shaped by repetition - familiar faces, familiar habits. Hanahara captures the humour and warmth of these everyday characters, each absorbed in their own moment, together forming the life of the space.