Kaoru Saito - 天守物語 (蓑を纏う夫人) (Tenshu Monogatari (The Straw Cloaked Lady))

Name: Kaoru Saito - 天守物語 (蓑を纏う夫人) (Tenshu Monogatari (The Straw Cloaked Lady))
Brand: Kumo Arts
Price: 240.00 GBP
Availability: InStock

£240.00

Modern | Sōsaku Hanga Mezzotint

Kaoru Saito’s 1978 mezzotint “天守物語 (蓑を纏う夫人)” (Tenshu Monogatari - The Straw Cloaked Lady) depicts the ethereal Princess Tomihime cloaked in straw, her gaze cast across a dark sky lit by a crescent moon and a lone falcon in flight. Rendered in deep blacks and soft tonal gradations, Saito captures the ghostly poise and tragic romance at the heart of Kyôka Izumi’s Tale of Himeji Castle. 👻🌙.

Year & Edition: 1978 · Artist’s Proof (signed & editioned in pencil to plate; titled & dated in pencil to margin).
Medium: Mezzotint.
Dimensions: Sheet H: 44.50 cm × W: 39.00 cm; Image H: 25.50 cm × W: 30.00 cm.
Condition: Beautiful; no notable marks or blemishes; paper clean, crisp & intact.
Notes: Tenshu Monogatari (1951), by Kyôka Izumi, became a Kabuki hit in 1955. It tells of forbidden love between Princess Tomihime - the spirit of Himeji Castle - and Zusyonosuke, the warrior sent to retrieve her white falcon. Their ghostly romance, explores love, fate and the supernatural.

About the Artist

Kaoru Saito (1931-2021) was a master of Japanese mezzotint, celebrated for his graceful bijin-e portraits and poetic scenes from The Tale of Genji. His prints conjure a quiet, surreal world of stillness and introspection - marked by deep blacks, soft gradations, and a finely balanced sense of emotion. Trained under Fujita Tsuguharu, Tsuruta Goro, and Arai Tatsuo, Saito became a leading figure in postwar printmaking and a key member of the Shunyo-kai Art Society. [ ← View All Works by Kaoru Saito]