Featured Japanese Woodblock Prints -- Artists? Age?

I have some large signed and numbered Japanese woodblock prints that I'd like to know more about. I think they're probably mid-20th century but don't really know. I can't read Japanese and don't know what the writing says.

I'm posting one of them, a closeup of it's seal and what I assume is a signature, and a closeup of a another print's seal and signature. Any help would be great!

 

A good place to check woodblock prints is : https://ukiyo-e.org/

Your first one is not listed, but you can check any others you have full photos of (cannot check with just the sig).

You can also search for a signature match at http://www.ukiyo-e.se/signatur.html

 

Thanks... will do.

 

I looked through the sites, and nada. I also looked at signatures on another site they had a link to, but nothing. The Ukiyo-e artists seem to mostly work in a different genre?

I think I saw a link in the past where you can post a Japanese work of art and get help but I didn't bookmark it. Does anyone have a link for it?

Also, is there anyone in Antiquers who can read Japanese?

 

I have never been adept at sorting that.

 

Thanks... didn't know that thread existed and loved reading the responses.

No one mentioned Japanese in the thread. I think I remember members doing translations before but don't remember who.

 

I just downloaded Google's translate app, which in theory can translate Japanese to English from a photo. It didn't help with the signatures... I guess either it isn't able to do names or perhaps the background confused it.

 

Well, I've just learned something new... Japanese botanical prints are called "kacho-e."

 

The plot thickens. To my surprise I found my woodblock on a print dealer's website. His copy doesn't have a signature or seal within the print, but it does have the artist's name (Chigusa Soun) in Japanese at the bottom. The characters look vaguely like the ones on my print but not exact?

His print is supposed to be an original, and I'm wondering if my print is a later restrike from the original blocks? The seal on my print might be the publisher who did the restrike?

https://panteek.com/ChigusaSoun/pages/csf128-241.htm

 

Oh, cool. I found a different print in Pinterest with the same signature and seal that's attributed to Chigusa Soun. Happy Dance here!

 

And now that I had the artist's name I found his work on the ukiyo-e site with the same seal and signature that are on my prints.

https://ukiyo-e.org/image/jaodb/Chi...lowers-Flowers_of_Japan_3-00037456-050324-F06

 

Glad you found it, Pat.

Our Japanese members never seem to stay on the forum for long.
I know one very enthusiastic one was bullied off the forum by another member who had several posts deleted by Davey and left(?) shortly after. I miss that Japanese member, always willing to help, with any subject.

 

Goodness, I used to know that.

Congrats on finding your artist!

 

That's a shame.

 

Thanks, Jivvy! I appreciate your help!

 

It turns out I was wrong about this. The Japanese characters below the other seller's prints are for the name of the flowers, which is also given in English. So there's no conflict about the artist's name on my prints and the other seller's prints.

More good news. Last night I knew I had three of these prints because they were all in one of my portfolios right in front of me. But, aging brain that I have, I didn't remember how many more my mother had (I inherited these). Did some digging last night and found 22 more in a couple of other portfolios! More Happy Dance here!

Most are by Chigusa Soun, with a few by one or more other artists. Hopefully I'll be able to identify them, too.