Wookblock Printer UCHIDA Kyoto, Japan, PART 3

The final two woodblock prints from Uchida. I hope someone eventually comes along and tells me the title of each one of these stories. I love these images. Simple clean images.

Shitakirisuzume (The Tongue Cut Sparrow)

Hanasaki Jijii (The Old Man who made the Trees Blossom)

Wookblock Printer UCHIDA Kyoto, Japan, PART 2

Two more images from the little box of Japanese Uchida woodblock greeting cards, late '50s to early '60s. Part one from yesterday can be seen here.

Urashima Taro (Fisherman and tortoise) pic with box

Kintaro (the strong boy) crossing the bridge

Wookblock Printer UCHIDA Kyoto, Japan

Over the next few days I'll be featuring some (oh geez, I'm about to say it...) antique greeting cards. Considering these were cards I used when I was a child. thinking of my youth as antique makes me pause. But indeed, these are over 50 years old. My folks gave them to me when we lived in Hawaii. I managed to keep a single copy of each design. My best friend has several I sent her. I imagine the others were sent to my maternal grandmother. I don't actually know.

Over the years I have often taken these out of their little box and examined them. For years I had "misplaced" them and only remembered them because my best friend sent me a scan of one she found in her files. A few days later I found the box in my doll case beneath a Japanese baby doll.

The images on these cards are all handprinted from woodblocks and represent popular children's stories in Japan. The company, Uchida, still exists. Their work can be found at the Kyoto Handicraft Center. The only biographical information I found was at the Metropolitan Postcard Club in New York City:

Uchida Art Co. Ltd. 1919-
Kyoto, Japan

This woodblock printing firm has preserved the traditional skills and methods of Japanese printing as Western technology has come to dominate this nation’s printing industry. They produce screens, scrolls, and publish postcards even in the current continental size.

This I believe is the signature of the artist. Anyone out there read kanji, hiragana, or katakana? I don't know which category this will fall in. It appears on the front image of each card.

This is the cover of the little box. Again, I have no idea of what is written, but have always loved the little box with the wondrous images inside.

Momotaro (the Peach boy)

Issunboshi (the one inch boy) boy in rice bowl

The interior shows the logo of the Uchida company. And just in case you didn't realize it, these are Christmas cards.

Click on image to see it larger.

And here is a book, Japanese Woodblock Prints by Uchida explaining how they create their art. Some lovely images.

More images tomorrow.

Look BOTH WAYS

To find out why I haven't posted in so long it's best to just read my post at my vernacular photography site. Net access has been the problem.

I'm finding I'm so rusty at blogging that what once came naturally is a little foggy. I need to get back on the bike and go full tilt. No guidance needed. Okay, perhaps at my age it's best to take it slow and look both ways...which leads me to this post.

This image comes from the collection of a gentleman named Bert who I met last week. Again, it's best to read my other blog for the full information about how I came to have this and many other images to share. Bert, like many of you, loves ephemera and old photos. Burt is a collector with a keen eye.

Click on image to see it larger.

All I can tell you about this image is that it's dated 1932, was printed in the U.S.A, and there is an artist's signature which I cannot read in the lower left corner. Other than that it was in a bag of photos that Bert purchased at a flea market.

I adore this image. I love everything about it and would love to see more work by this illustrator. These images would have made wonderful paper dolls.

If anyone sees this and it looks familiar please drop me a line so I can fill in the pieces of the "where did this come from" mystery.

WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE when you grew up?

From the April 1974 Cricket. Illustration by Maurice Sendak. Words by Ruth Krauss.

Click on images to see them larger.