Details

This design is known as the first printed work of abstraction executed in Japan. Koshiro Onchi produced this groundbreaking design while attending art school with Shizuo Fujimori and Kyokichi Tanaka. During their art school years, the three artists established the Tsukuhae (moon glow) art magazine, with the help of Takehisa Yumeiji. The artists produced seven issues containing numerous contributions by all three. This revolutionary abstracted design was included in the fifth volume produced in 1915. The work is elegant, contemplative, and full of youthful energetic exuberance.

Connoisseur's Note

This impression originates from the Tsukuhae magazine. As with most designs from the magazine, it was produced using the artist’s self-carved blocks and machine printed on thin, slick paper, most likely used to aid the machine in printing the oil-based pigments. There is much debate about the number of copies produced for each issue. If we can gauge the quantity based on their appearance in the marketplace, it is safe to say they were produced in very small runs.