{"product_id":"sosaku-senshu-zuanshu-collection-designs-textile-dyeing-8xvt5e8s","title":"Sosaku senshu zuanshu [A Collection of Designs for Textile Dyeing]","description":"\u003cp\u003eAn exquisite portfolio of woodblock printed textile designs by Fujii Tatsukichi (1881-1964), a pioneering craftsman of the twentieth century.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs well as being a painter, Fujii was an unusually multidisciplinary craftsperson, and his practice spanned printmaking, ceramics and lacquer. He entered the working world at a very young age – in fact only after finishing elementary school – and starting his career at a cotton wholesaler. This work took him to Korea, and when he returned to Japan he decided he wanted to study painting at an arts university. Sadly his father would not allow it, so instead he joined a different company, this time Happori Shippo-ten in Nagoya. This was a shop that handled a variety of beautiful \u003cem\u003eshippo\u003c\/em\u003e (cloisoné) objects, made in Japan and overseas.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOnce again his work took him overseas, next to America for the Lewis and Clark Exposition where the company was exhibiting some objects. His time in America left an enormous impact him, both in terms of his growing interest in Western art and aesthetics, and for his appreciation of Japanese crafts which he saw exhibited in American museums. Returning to Japan, he set his sights on becoming an artist\/craftsman, and from around 1906 he devoted himself first to lacquer and shippo, then later to other disciplines such as papermaking and printing. Alongside his own practice, Fujii was very active in the promotion of traditional crafts in Japan, successfully campaigning for crafts to be included in contemporary national exhibitions. Many of his works, including the present set of prints, appear to have both Japanese and Western stylistic influence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe present book was commissioned by the publishers Bungado, who had the idea to create an album of drawings by Fujii. As he expresses in the forward, this was an immensely daunting task and Fujii struggled to create drawings he liked. Eventually he settled on the theme of nature, allowing himself to observe the natural world around him and draw from there. This gave him energy, writing “When I am in nature, I feel boundless joy” (foreword, our translation).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom conception to finish, the project took three years to complete and was an impressive undertaking involving a number of skilled craftspeople. Fujii refused to compromise on quality, and even the title on the cardboard box, as well as the paper for the foreword and title pages, are printed by woodblock as opposed to lithography, which was the cheaper option suggested by the publisher. Additionally, the prints are done on high quality washi paper, tipped onto more textured handmade papers, resulting in a portfolio that exudes luxury. Some of the papers were made by papermakers in his hometown in Aichi prefecture, a detail Fujii was particularly happy about. While there are 50 folding leaves, there are 61 plates in total (some included two-three paired together), and 9 of them have been printed onto textile.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe limitation is not stated in the colophon, so it is unclear exactly how many copies were produced. Two slightly different bindings seem to exist; one where the cloth of the box is purple, and another where it is a clay-like red, as is the case with the present copy. Owing to the materials used and frequent use of gold and silver pigments in the prints, it is clear that this would have been a tremendously expensive book to produce.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVery rare, even more so in such fine condition. One copy in OCLC (The Met).\u003c\/p\u003e\n","brand":"Maggs Bros.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53634023063861,"sku":"263610","price":3000.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/store.maggs.com\/products\/sosaku-senshu-zuanshu-collection-designs-textile-dyeing-8xvt5e8s","provider":"Maggs Bros.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}