Posted by Marc Kahn on September 01, 2001 at 17:42:15:
In Reply to: takashi image posted by richard on September 01, 2001 at 14:46:14:
Richard,
I'm convinced that your print came from a different set of blocks. In my print, there are 14 dark trees in the foreground. Your print has 10.
Here is a picture of the lower left and upper right corners of my print:
I can't clearly make out the writing in the margins of your image, but I am certain that it is different from mine. The first 4 characters of the date on mine (in the lower left margin) say 1 9 5 2. Yours looks like it might be 1 9 5 5 or perhaps 1 9 5 9. The titles (in the upper right margin) look to different as well.
Since margin writing is typically on the keyblock, this points to a different set of blocks having been used for our 2 prints. I've never seen yours before.
There are 2 possible explanations:
1. The print was very successful and went through many printings. When the blocks gave out, Watanabe had them re-carved. This is not unprecedented, although the practice has been denied by Watanabe.
2. Your print, lacking a publisher seal and an artist's seal, may have been plagiarized by another publisher. However, it's hard to imagine that a knock-off would retain Takashi's signature.
I have been studying the subject of recut prints and plagiarized knock-offs, and have written an article about it on my new website, shotei.com. Click here to check out what I have found about variant Shotei prints.
Hope this helps.
Marc Kahn