This plate comes from Collected Illustrations of Japanese Toys, the woodblock album in which Kawasaki Kyōsen (1877–1942) recorded the folk playthings of old Japan. It belongs to the genre of omocha-e, or toy pictures. The sheet gathers a small group of Edo-era objects: a hobby-horse on a slender stick, a round-cheeked Otafuku mask resting in a wooden tub, a red hoop, and a flat wooden paddle.
Kyōsen drew each toy from direct observation and had it cut and printed as a woodblock. The line is quiet and exact. Flat fields of red, ochre and ink sit against the bare cream of the paper, so every object reads as a clear silhouette rather than a busy scene.
On a wall the plate keeps a calm, collected feeling. The pale ground gives the eye room to rest, and the scattered toys invite a slow second look. It suits a reading corner, a hallway, or a child's room decorated with restraint.
Printed on heavy fine-art paper with a soft natural-white surface. . . . Read More >>
This plate comes from Collected Illustrations of Japanese Toys, the woodblock album in which Kawasaki Kyōsen (1877–1942) recorded the folk playthings of old Japan. It belongs to the genre of omocha-e, or toy pictures. The sheet gathers a small group of Edo-era objects: a hobby-horse on a slender stick, a round-cheeked Otafuku mask resting in a wooden tub, a red hoop, and a flat wooden paddle.
Kyōsen drew each toy from direct observation and had it cut and printed as a woodblock. The line is quiet and exact. Flat fields of red, ochre and ink sit against the bare cream of the paper, so every object reads as a clear silhouette rather than a busy scene.
On a wall the plate keeps a calm, collected feeling. The pale ground gives the eye room to rest, and the scattered toys invite a slow second look. It suits a reading corner, a hallway, or a child's room decorated with restraint.
Printed on heavy fine-art paper with a soft natural-white surface. Framed editions arrive behind shatter-resistant acrylic in a slim wooden moulding; the canvas option is a satin-coated cotton weave. No two viewings feel hurried.
Frequently asked questions
What is shown in this print?
A small set of Edo-period folk toys — a stick hobby-horse, an Otafuku mask in a wooden tub, a red hoop and a wooden paddle — drawn from life by the artist.
What does omocha-e mean?
Omocha-e are "toy pictures": woodblock prints that document the playthings of everyday Japanese life, a genre Kyōsen devoted much of his career to recording.
Which album is this from?
It is plate Nr. 101 of Kyōsen's Collected Illustrations of Japanese Toys (Kyōsen Omocha-shū), a survey of traditional folk toys.
Where does this print fit at home?
Its pale ground and clear shapes keep a room calm; it works in a reading corner, a hallway, or a quietly decorated child's room.
<< Read Less
Japan historical period: Taisho 大正 (1912-1925)
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#Ukiyo-E
