Modern | Sōsaku Hanga Woodblock Print
Katsuyuki Nishijima’s woodblock print “島原大門” (Shimabara Daimon) captures the grand Ōmon gate that once marked the entrance to Shimabara’s licensed pleasure quarter. Framed by swaying willow fronds, the gate evokes its heyday as one of Edo’s three yūkaku and later Japan’s first hanamachi district. Beyond its ornate tile eaves and timber pillars lies a silent reminder of Shimabara’s transformation into a residential neighbourhood after the 1958 prohibition on prostitution. 🎴🏮
- Year & Edition: c. 2017 · Ed. of 500 (signed & titled in pencil).
- Medium: Woodblock.
- Dimensions: Sheet W: 43.50 cm × H: 31.50 cm; Image W: 37.75 cm × H: 25.75 cm.
- Condition: Studio-fresh.
- Notes: Shimabara was an Edo-period yūkaku (遊廓) alongside Tokyo’s Yoshiwara and Osaka’s Shinmachi. In the 18th century it became Japan’s first hanamachi (花街) geisha district. The Ōmon gate survives as a testament to this layered history.
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