Toys From Japan: Meiji Wood Block Prints

Price: $475

Designers: Shimizu Seifu, Nishizawa Tekiho

Era: 19th century / 1800's

Country of Origin: Japan

Materials: Paint > Ink, Paper

Condition: Excellent Condition

Style: Art > Meiji Style (Japanese 1868-1912)

Item description:
Rare set of wood block prints illustrating Omocha, toys, from the Meiji period. These toys were more than playthings for children. Many were derived from amulets with symbolic content rooted in Japanese folklore.in 1887 Shimizu Seifu (1851-1913) founded the "Hobbyhorse Club" dedicated to "the merry and nostalgic enjoyment of children's toys". Seifu, who was an artist, a wealthy trader and a student of Japanese folklore, assembled a large collection of children's toys and published a series of books cataloging his collection. The series, Unai no tomo (The Child's Friends), numbered ten volumes, six by Seifu and four by the painter Nishizawa Tekiho (1889 - 1965). The prints shown here are from the first edition of volume 6, printed in Kyoto in 1891. Presented in museum mats and ebonized ash frames with non-reflective conservation glass.