A Myriad of Choices...

Collectors of Japanese woodblock prints are often confronted with a myriad of choices as to which prints are best suited for their collecting interests when confronted with sometimes conflicting considerations such as aesthetics, collectability, and costs.

To many buyers of Japanese prints who even initially considered themselves to be only casual collectors of this art form, the joy of collecting Japanese prints can soon become habitual to the point where it consumes a regular proportion of their monthly income. To a smaller body of collectors, their unbridled enthusiasm and self-indulgence toward collecting can in some cases become obsessive almost to the point of addiction. In nearly all cases however, the vast majority of collectors soon discover that they must live within some spending budget as they add to their growing collection of prints, and hence along the way, collecting choices must be made.

One such common dilemma can be that of choosing between a typically more expensive "lifetime edition" print (oftentimes distinguishable by being "pencil-signed") by a particular artist of interest or perhaps settling for a later, typically less expensive, "posthumous edition" by the same artist of the same image design.

Occasionally then, collectors of prints will ask us "How much difference is there between the lifetime published "pencil-signed" prints of Toshi Yoshida as compared to later, posthumous "block-signed" ("impressed") prints of the same image??" To help answer this question, we've recently examined two such pairs of "same image" prints together side-by-side to give both ourselves and collectors a better idea how they really compare.

In this article we will present a few examples of one such artist's prints--namely the prints of Toshi Yoshida (1911-1995), son of the earlier famous "shin hanga" artist, Hiroshi Yoshida (1881-1950).


Toshi Yoshida (1911-95)-- Some History

Although reference materials and information about Toshi Yoshida are elsewhere available, we will nevertheless begin our discussion of his prints with the following short introductory background about this artist.

Born in 1911 as the first son of artist father Hiroshi YOSHIDA, it was almost predictable by Japanese tradition that Toshi would himself grow up to also become an artist. Raised in a household of art, it is therefore not surprising to learn that Toshi began to learn painting very early at only three years of age, and went on to later produce his first woodblock print design (a small 6 x 11 print titled "Crabs") in 1925 at the age of only 14. This first woodblock by Toshi was, in fact, created only five years later than printmaker father Hiroshi's very first woodblock print ("The Sacred Garden in Meiji Shrine") which was published by Watanabe Shozaburo in 1920.

Toshi's father Hiroshi was certainly quite an astute businessman, producing only his first 8 woodblock print designs via the publishing house of Watanabe Shozaburo (during the period 1920-22) where he carefully observed the printmaking processes of both carving and printing. Following this initial three year introduction into printmaking and a yearlong print-sketching trip to the United States in 1923-24, Hiroshi then in 1925 returned to Japan and opened his own printmaking studio from which he self-published the balance of his 259 lifetime woodblock print images. Indeed--unlike most Japanese woodblock print artists who simply sold their "print designs" to various publishers--by employing his own expert carvers and printers Hiroshi Yoshida maintained complete artistic control over his works, and more importantly, the life-long publishing rights of his own self-designed images. Thusly, born in 1925 was a very successful independent family business that exists still today as the Yoshida Family Studio.

Surrounded by art and under the constant influence of his father's lifework, Toshi quite naturally took to both sketching and painting at a very young age. At the same time, quite likely during these early years, Toshi would have also observed the ins-and-outs of father Hiroshi's self-run business, knowledge that would serve him well in later life. Following a traditional lower and middle school education, Toshi's interest in art the lead him to four years of study of oil painting at the Taiheiyo Art School. After schooling, son Toshi then traveled in 1929 with his father to both India and throughout southeast Asia on what was both a family vacation as well as a carefully planned print-sketching trip.

Compared to his printmaker father Hiroshi Yoshida (1881-1950) who produced a lifetime total of some 259 woodblock print images, Toshi himself became even more prolific in his life's output. Although by 1939 (at the age of 28) Toshi had produced only his first 10 woodblock prints, by the time of his death in 1995 he had by then surpassed his father with a body of woodblock prints totaling 396 images that ranged from traditional Japanese landscapes to animals of Africa to complete abstracts. Clearly--in addition to overseeing the Yoshida Family Studio's posthumous production of his father's prints in the years following the death of Hiroshi in 1950--Toshi at the same time also became well known and admired as an artist in his own right.


Choices, Choices, Choices.....

Returning now to the focus of this article, we find ourselves considering the following questions that often confront collectors, namely: "Should I purchase an earlier lifetime-published (perhaps "pencil-signed") print by a particular artist of interest..... or should I instead perhaps save some money by purchasing a later, posthumously published print by the same artist?? What's really the best choice?? And, what makes the most sense to me personally as a print collector??

To the vast majority of print collectors--and certainly to those of us who are constrained by costs and a budget--the cost of a given print is certainly often a major factor. And therefore, if posthumous copies are available, how great are the cost-savings by purchasing one of these prints?? And finally, if chosen, how do these "later" prints compare in quality to the almost certainly more expensive "lifetime" copies?

At least in the case of woodblock prints by artist Toshi Yoshida, the marketplace seems to place about TWICE the price premium upon lifetime ("pencil-signed") prints compared to roughly identical quality same image prints which are posthumously printed (known as "block-signed" or "impressed" prints) offerings of the Yoshida Family Studio. Knowing this approximate price differential, let's next carefully examine a couple of Toshi Yoshida's prints to see how these seemingly "same as" prints compare with respect to their overall appearance and printing quality.

Toshi Yoshida's 1940 "pencil-signed" "Umbrella" (left), "block-signed" "Umbrella" (right)


Toshi Yoshida's 1940 print "Umbrella"

Seen just above is our first set of "same-as" prints--a pair of Toshi Yoshida's 1940 print titled "Umbrella." On the right is a slightly age-toned "life-time/pencil-signed" printing, and on the right is a somewhat fresher looking "posthumous/block-signed" printing. Here, the term "block-signed" refers to the fact that--although the print's "signature" LOOKS a lot like the hand-written signature of artist Toshi Yoshida--it is, in fact, "block-printed" from a hand-carved wooden copy of Toshi's written signature.

(It is for this reason--their striking similarity of appearance--that beginning collectors of Japanese woodblock prints need to exercise some judgement when being presented a print offered as "pencil-signed" to determine if the print they're considering purchasing is, in fact, truly a "life-time/pencil-signed" printing. We'll have a bit more to say about this matter a bit later in this article.)





A Closer Look at both "Umbrella's" Japanese date and Japanese titles (older print on top)

Next, looking above a bit closer at both of our "Umbrella" prints overlaid with their margins almost side-by-side (this time with the OLDER "pencil-signed" version placed on TOP), we can now clearly see the IDENTICAL nature of both print's Japanese dates (reads top to bottom: "Showa ju-go nen saku," or "Showa fifteen year made", or "1940") and Japanese titles (reads: "Amagasa," or "umbrella"). This identical appearance is fully as expected, as in both cases these markings are carved directly into this print's "key-block," ensuring that these markings will remain identical regardless of print's actual year of production.

Again (as cautioned above), we are noting also with the nearly identical appearance of Toshi's true "pencil-signed" print on the top (offset slightly to the right), and his later posthumous "block-signed" (woodblock printed) signature on the bottom (offset slightly to the left) print.


A Closer Comparison of Printing Quality

Finally, at this point, let's zoom-in for a closer side-by-side comparison of these two print's quality with respect to the apparent care and skill demonstrated in their actual printing. This time, the older (age-toned) print is set to the left, with the fresher newer print seen to the right.




Comparing Printing Quality -- Older "Umbrella" Print (left), Newer "Umbrella" Print (right)

At least to our experienced eyes, the printing quality of both prints seems to be nearly identical--with a skillful application of colors (to the numerous woodblocks involved) apparent in both prints. The matching of colors seen in the post-1995 print (right) is nearly identical to the colors which appear likely some 30 or 40 or 50 years earlier in the lifetime print--not easily accomplished, and certainly requiring a great deal of effort on the part of Yoshida Family Studio's later artisans.

Both print's "bokashi" shading (gradation of colors) is similarly well done. Admittedly , one could argue that the older print's "distant buildings" are somewhat more carefully depicted. At the same time however, one could equally well argue that the newer print's "umbrella top" is more carefully (more convincingly) shaded and that the newer print's "reflection" seen in the wet pavement also appears more life-like.

In any case--BOTH prints are certainly very skillfully printed and exhibit the quality for which the Yoshida Family Studio is so well known. Aesthetically speaking, the viewer is left feeling pleased with each print's presentation.



SECOND EXAMPLE: Toshi Yoshida's 1938 print, "Supper Wagon"