Gekko Harimaze

GEKKO (1859-1920)

Harimaze of the Floating World
Attempting to simulate a harimaze (cut-out prints) of years gone by.  At left, a samurai encounters a tiger in the snowy mountains of Korea. In the center, a doll maker selects blank wooden heads from an array stuck into a straw bale. Doll heads in various stages of completion, some with wigs or painted faces, are arranged in another bale behind the young boy, and a completed doll sits in the center. At right, a beauty crosses Nihon Bridge, dressed in a beautiful  kimono with a burnished check pattern and colorful fan-shaped motifs. A bird perches on the folded corner of the image, with cherry blossoms hanging down over the scene.
Signed Gekko
c 1899

Oban Diptych