Katsuyuki Nishijima - 八ツ橋の舗 (Yatsuhashi Sweetshop)

Katsuyuki Nishijima’s woodblock print “八ツ橋の舗” (Yatsuhashi Sweetshop) depicts the traditional storefront of Honke Nishio Yatsuhashi, Kyoto’s oldest confectionery renowned for its yatsuhashi sweets. A charming Shigaraki tanuki (raccoon-dog) - a symbol of good fortune - greets visitors at the shop’s entrance, adding playful character to this lively scene. 🍡🏮

• Year & Edition: 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: Honke Nishio Yatsuhashi, established in 1689, is Kyoto’s oldest and most celebrated producer of yatsuhashi - a traditional cinnamon-flavoured confection. Nishijima notably includes a Shigaraki tanuki (信楽狸) figure, a beloved symbol of prosperity and good fortune in Japanese folklore. The presence of this whimsical figure marks a rare playful touch in Nishijima’s work, typically absent of human or animal imagery.

About the Artist

Katsuyuki Nishijima (b. 1945, Yamaguchi) has spent over fifty years capturing a distilled vision of traditional Japan through woodblock printmaking. Drawing on ukiyo-e, shin-hanga, and sōsaku hanga, his prints depict peaceful street scenes, machiya, and Kyoto townscapes that quietly evoke the spirit of historical Japan. A former apprentice at Kyoto’s Mikumo publishing house, Nishijima brings a deep attentiveness to the cultural memory embedded in architecture and landscape. [ ← View All Works by Katsuyuki Nishijima]