r/japanart

Picked these up as I like the aesthetic of them.

They appear to be contemporary Japanese woodblock prints but can't find anything online.

Anyone able to help? Thanks!

Why was this seemingly innocent Japanese woodblock print considered too suggestive in 1930?

Torii Kotondo’s Morning Hair (Asanegami) depicts a young woman just after waking, her hair loose as she rests against a pillow beneath a green mosquito net.

When the original edition was published, Japanese authorities objected to the intimate scene. Only a small number of impressions had been sold before the remaining prints were reportedly confiscated and destroyed.

The problem wasn’t nudity, but what the image implied – her disheveled hair, the pillow, and the intimate morning setting suggested that she had spent the night with someone.

Today, Morning Hair is one of Kotondo’s best-known and most sought-after designs.

#ToriiKotondo #MorningHair #ShinHanga #JapaneseWoodblockPrints #Bijinga #JapaneseArt #Ukiyoe

Any advice on how to save this. Looks like water damage. Scared to remove from frame. I found this in the trash. I imagine it’s probably ruined.

These have been in the family for 50+ years. I inherited them and do not know what to do with them. They have been appraised and I have a fairly complete provenance for both. They are not for sale. I would consider an indefinite loan or donation, but they are not of that grade.

Any suggestions on how best to preserve long term? I have kept them in the dark since 2014, seems dumb to keep them in a box, but that was the recommendation. When I retire in a few years, I will not be able to take care of them.

I've tried to find info on this to no avail. Here's everything I could gather so far:

It's a tiny (roughly 4x6 inch) painting mounted onto what might be silk parchment that has symbols like geometric squares, swirls, and bells that can only be seen when you hold it at an angle.

I was told that the black words mean something like "tiger head flower" or something akin to that.

I could not find any info on the chop seal, or which artist it comes from.

I've written to Harvard, Princeton, Japanese art museums, etc, and they just keep telling me that I need to find a Japanese antiquarian expert to get any information on it.

Any info is much appreciated!