About the artist
Shoun Yamamoto was a painter, illustrator and print artist active from the late 19th century through the mid 20th century. Initially trained in both Japanese and Chinese painting, Shoun worked primarily as painter, exhibiting regularly at the national juried exhibitions, Bunten and Teiten. Shoun also worked as an illustrator in Tokyo and designed prints in the spirit of the shin hanga (new print) movement. As a printmaker, he is best known for his series of bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful women) Fashions of Today (1906-1909), kacho-e (bird-and-flower prints), and for his atmospheric landscapes. Shoun also completed a series of prints titled Kodomo Asobi (c.1906), whichdepicts children at play. Many of Shoun's prints were published by Heikichi Matsuki.