Kaoru Kawano - 舞扇 Dancing Figure (Mai Ogi)

A fabulous print by Kaoru Kawano depicting a poised dancing figure holding a 舞扇 (mai-ogi), the traditional folding fan used in classical Japanese dance. The long kimono sweeps across the composition in a colourful palette, with red and patterned sections set against a dark background. The garment carries Kawano's woodgrain relief - adding a beautiful texture & elegance to the composition, complementing the dancer’s composed stance. 🎎

• Year & Edition: c.1950s-60s. Open edition. Artist’s red hanko, black seal verso.
• Medium: Woodblock.
• Dimensions: Paper approx. H 43.00 cm × W 28.50 cm. Image approx. H: 38.00 cm x W: 23.25 cm (Oban).
• Condition: Clean image, crisp paper. Slight toning & faint fox spotting to margin.
• Notes: 舞扇 (mai-ogi) is a folding fan used in Nihon Buyō and other forms of classical Japanese dance, often appearing in stage performances and festival displays.

About the Artist

河野薫 Kaoru Kawano (1916-1965) was a postwar printmaker from Otaru, Hokkaido, known for his charming stylised child figures, northern birds, owls, and the distinctive use of woodgrain in his prints. Trained under Narita Gyokusen and later at the Kawabata Art School in Tokyo, he resumed his career after wartime service and prisoner internment in Siberia, exhibiting with the Japan Print Association (日本版画協会) and Kokugakai (国画会), and receiving the Kokuga Prize in 1955. Through Yoseido Gallery his work was shown widely in international print exhibitions, and both his pencil-signed and seal-stamped editions are increasingly collected today. [ ← View All Works by Kaoru Kawano]