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SHOUN, Yamamoto   (1870 - 1965)		'Fashions of Today' (Imasugata)
		Signed:               Shoun, with artist's seal Publisher:          Matsuki Heikichi Published:          1906 Size:                    oban tate-e (c.  37. 5 x 25. 5 cms / 14 3/4" x 10") Impression:                  Excellent. Luxuriously printed with areas of blind printing. Colors:                          Excellent. Condition:                     Mint. - Printed on thick deluxe paper. Full paper size. ref. no.: # 59 1787 Price: € 1,650.00

Fashions of Today is a deluxe series which was issued by one of Japan's foremost publishers, Matsuki Heikichi, from 1606 to 1609. Shoun's style is of particular interest, as it reflects the transitional period between ukiyo-e and shin hanga. Shoun's subject matter of his prints was less formal and more realistic than in the earlier ukiyo-e prints, and in this respect we can say that this series foreshadows the shin hanga movement of the Taisho period and so paved the way for artists like Shinsui, or Kotondo. - For a further discussion of this transition period between traditional ukiyo-e and the development of shin hanga, and the characteristics and novelty of SHOUN's style, we recommend Donald Jenkin's discussion of the matter in The New Wave, with paragraphs on Shoun on pp. 19-20. This design, an okubi-e ('Large-Head portrait'), shows a young woman watching a huge beetle on a green leave. - The impression is of particular excellence, and the print in absolutely mint condition. For a print from another of SHOUN's bijin series, see: Present-day Beauties, also shown in this gallery section. Reference: The new Wave, London and Leiden, 1993; p. 104, nos. 73-74 (showing two other designs from the series).

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