Until now, our prior research had indicated that in approximately 1960--about the time that both artists Shiro Kasamatsu and Takeji Asano ended their association with Unsodo Publisher--the "margin-dating" was permanently removed from the "key-block" margins of all of Kasamatsu's and Asano's prints of the 1950's period. Instead, via Tokyo, Andreas now reports an important discovery--in his own words:
"Most important thing I learned is about the date block in
the margin of Kasamatsu's and Asano's prints. It was our wisdom so far, that the date got
removed around 1960. Actually, I've just learned that the date
block got removed already JUST after the printing of the first batch of 100!. Thus, ALL such
dated prints are genuine "First Editions!!" That, of course, depending on the
date of the print, happened via a span of 10 years from around 1950 to 1960
and further explains why so many prints (without margin-dating) on "old paper" do exist."
Bottomline--the important thing that we've just learned is that these DATED first-edition prints of Kasamatsu and Asano by Unsodo Publisher are, indeed, very limited--only 100 copies of each exist.
#2 -- March 24, 2002 -- Hairs per Centimeter
Over the years, being collectors of Japanses woodblocks ourselves, we have at times found ourselves amazed (if not downright dumbstruck) by the high degree of details that we at times have observed in our prints. And so, from time to time we have first recorded under magnification--then counted--the "number of hairs per centimeter" that these artisan carvers have been able to achieve using only their bare hands and a very sharp knife. During the past couple of years, the count had seemingly stalled at about 32-33 hairs carved per centimeter (or about 80 per inch!). Pretty impressive craftsmanship. Such detailed carving is seen in a variety of Meiji-era prints, such as the prints by Chikanobu and Yoshitoshi shown just below.
