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An antique Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock print featuring multiple figures in elaborate traditional garments, with one central figure holding a large sheet of calligraphy and another in a red floral robe in the foreground. The print is mounted on a beige paper background with visible hanging clips at the corners.
A vintage Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock print featuring multiple figures in elaborate traditional garments, with one central figure holding a large sheet of calligraphy and another in a red floral robe in the foreground. The print is mounted on a beige paper background with visible hanging clips at the corners.
Sosaku Collection

Antique Japanese Woodblock Print--Samurai and Geisha, Meiji era Shibai-e

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Artist: Unknown (Meiji-period commercial publisher, Koizumi edition)
Title: Samurai and Courtesan: Scene from a Historical Drama
Medium: Woodblock print (nishiki-e / shibai-e)
Year: c. 1885–1905
Edition: Original Meiji-period impression
Image size: approx. 36 × 24 cm
Paper size: approx. 37 × 25 cm
Condition: Good; minor toning, edge wear, light creasing, and age-related wear consistent with period
Signed: Publisher-issued; publisher cartouche at lower right
Notes: A vivid late-Meiji dramatic scene print depicting an armored samurai and elaborately dressed woman, likely illustrating a kabuki or jōruri narrative. The inset upper panel provides an interior narrative moment, while the floating calligraphic text summarizes the dramatic context. Produced for the popular urban print market, works like this bridged traditional ukiyo-e storytelling and the increasingly commercialized visual culture of the Meiji period. Richly printed in bright aniline pigments typical of the era, with strong decorative appeal and historical theater interest.