Clock and Cup by Sumio Kawakami, Woodblock Print in Frame, Horita Clock Shop, 1971

Acquired from the owner of a now-closed clock shop in Kagawa Prefecture, where it was displayed in the storefront.

Sumio Kawakami Woodblock Print
Clock and Glass
Printer: Matajiro Uchikawa
Paper: Ichibei Iwano
Handmade Washi Paper, Hotta Clock Shop.

* Print paper size (visible dimensions): approx. W 24 x H 25.7 cm. Frame size: approx. H 31 x W 40 cm.
* The frame has some scuffs and minor scratches. Please refer to the images.
* This is an old item. Please judge based on the images before bidding.
* We have no expertise regarding this item, but we will answer questions to the best of our ability.
* This is a used item, so please refrain from bidding if you are sensitive about condition.
* We appreciate your understanding of old items.

Sumio Kawakami
* Born in Yokohama in 1895.
* After graduating from Aoyama Gakuin High School, he wandered through Canada the following year. In 1921, he became an English teacher at Utsunomiya Junior High School and began creating prints on the side.
* In 1926, his Early Summer Breeze, exhibited at the Kokuga-kai exhibition, so impressed Shiko Munakata, who was then focusing on oil painting inspired by Van Gogh, that it is famous for inspiring Munakata's decision to become a printmaker.
* In 1935, in his print book Egeresu Iroha Jinbutsu, he referred to himself as Heppoko Sensei (Clumsy Teacher), and this character later became popular when used in a Suntory TV commercial.
* In 1945, he evacuated to Hokkaido for several years and was involved in the production of picture books with poems and pictures of the Ainu people.
* In 1949, he was invited as a lecturer to Utsunomiya Women's High School. In the same year, he received the first Tochigi Prefecture Culture Encouragement Award. He retired in 1958 and devoted himself to printmaking. In 1967, he received the Fourth Class Order of the Sacred Treasure, and he passed away in 1972 at the age of 77.

In his print picture book Lamp, he stated, My hometown is Tokyo during the Meiji Restoration. He produced many prints with a foreign flair, inspired by the nostalgia of Meiji civilization and the exoticism of Namban trade, which were the origins of that sophistication. His style ranged from single-sheet prints to numerous illustrated books with poems and pictures, which can be called poetic picture collections, earning him overwhelming support from many fans.

#UmetaroAkechi #Seikosha #KeisukeSerizawa #SamiroYugami #Mingei #SoetsuYanagi #KanjiroKawai #ShojiHamada #BernardLeach #