OLD JAPANESE WOODBLOCK PRINT
Old Japanese wood block print: Gods and Samurai. Print designed as central image for what westerners would call chap books or novelettes. 2 full rice paper page sheets shown unfolded as they would be in the book as a central color illustration for the story. The two images making up the print are 7"x 4.5 ". If unfolded and fit together then approx 7"x 17.5". The print is three colors, black and two blues: light blue and medium blue. This print was collected by Will Petersen (1928 - 1994), listed artist: printmaker, painter, poet, and Japanese translator. Also a member of the ?eat?generation ( he is ?ol Sturleson?in Kerouac? Dharma Bums - friend of Kerouac and Gary Snyder) & famous for his essay ?tone Garden?first published in the Evergreen Review in 1957. Petersen was stationed in Japan during the Korean war and returned afterwards to live in Kyoto for 11 years. There he made prints, studied Japanese Noh drama, wrote poetry, and taught English. He collected interesting books and scrolls as memorabilia of his life there. When he returned in 1968 he brought boxes of oddities home with him on the last voyage of the Hikowamaru, a Japanese steamer. This 2 part print is part of a collection of delightful Japanese wood block prints from Japanese chap books that I will be offering on Ebay. The prints come directly from Petersen? estate. They are probably over 200 yrs old.