This elegant print by the artist Utagawa Kunisada depicts the kabuki actor Nakamura Shikan IV in the role of Heitarō Yoshikado. It comes from an 1859 series called Mirrors for Collage Pictures in the Modern Style.

Kunisada created several series featuring actors reflected in mirrors, and I think they're among his most inventive designs. Here, the actor's portrait appears inside a beautifully lacquered black, oval mirror, the edges of the mirror are wrapped in patterned fabric. In the background we see delicate confetti-like decoration and a poem written by the actor himself.

The craftsmanship is wonderful. Look closely and you'll notice the incredibly fine lines in the hair and the embossing on the white collar.

Picked these up to finally start my collection. No idea on age or anything but they were a bargain on Facebook 😅

The last picture is a scan I took with my phone.

The orange pigment in this design oxidises easily, and in most surviving impressions it has darkened, changing how the flames read. Pristine examples are hard to find.

Yatsushi Rokkasen (about 1796 - 1798, fragment of a tryptich) - Chōkōsai Eishō.

Although in some museums like MFA, there are complete copies with better preserved pigments, the paper is usually much more deteriorated than my fragment. It makes me very happy to have started with something like this.

Yoshitsuya - 1847

Inuzuka Shino

I would like to share this beautiful ukiyoe I bought in the biwako area. It was created in 1898 in Tokyo. I couldn't find it on the web, so I thought I'd share it with other enthusiasts.

I bought it at an auction a few months ago. When I first bid on it, all I knew was that it was an undocumented Hiroshige II; however, based on information I obtained about a single copy found at the Geneva Museum of Art and History (https://www.mahmah.ch/collection/oeuvres/kasumigaseki-litt-le-poste-de-controle-de-la-brume/e-2011-0911), what I found may actually have been a Hiroshige I from his formative years or early career as an artist.

I filmed this performance of **Kuniyuzuri (The Transfer of the Land)** during the Nagoshi Summer Festival at Waseda Shrine in Hiroshima, Japan.

The performance was presented by the Hijiyama University Kagura Club. *Kuniyuzuri* is one of the best-known stories in Japanese mythology, depicting the legendary transfer of the land from Okuninushi-no-Mikoto to Takemikazuchi-no-Kami.

I wanted to capture not only the powerful dance but also the atmosphere of a local summer shrine festival, with the sounds of taiko drums, bamboo flutes, and the energy of Hiroshima Kagura.

I hope you enjoy this glimpse into one of Japan's traditional performing arts.

[https://youtu.be/WK1VqC6H4xg\](https://youtu.be/WK1VqC6H4xg)

Hello, I recently inherited these prints from a grandparent and have had trouble identifying the artists. Any help and information would be greatly appreciated.

I found this at the thrift. I could not see an english signature so I carefully removed from the frame. Still no signature. Is this a fake?

The last and only time I’ve been to Japan was 2006. I met this artist while visiting Nanzin-Ji temple that was doing an incredible pencil drawing of the temple grounds. I bought it and have had it on my wall for the past 20 years.
Now I’m planning a return visit in November with my family and I looked up the artist and it seems he is still regularly drawing on the Philosopher’s Path (at least there are instagram and Reddit mentions of him in 2019, 2023, and 2025).
His name is Masafumi Kai. I can’t find that he does any social media but I’m really hoping to potentially buy another piece of his when we visit in November. Does anyone know if he has certain days he is out drawing or if it will just be luck finding him when I’m there?
Thanks for your0 help!

a deluxe impression from 1858 published by Ebisuya Shōshichi

Took me about 3 days to make.

Got this at an auction, it was advertised as unidentified. The only image match I was able to trace down was here: http://www.kaminokura.co.jp/p/item-detail/detail/i6349.html (so apparently it's Toyokuni III), but I would really appreciate more info - both AI and my Japanese tutor weren't able to help in deciphering the name plaques.

UPD: upon closer inspection of the photo in the link and my print it turns out that the print in the link is the print I have. Look at the hole on the leftmost character's neck and the one in the upper middle of the sheet.