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Onchi, Koshiro (1891 - 1955)

Portrait of the Poet Hagiwara Sakutaro

Medium: Woodblock Print
Date: Designed 1943, printed c. 1949
Size (H x W): 21.5 x 17.5 (inches)
Seals: Artist: Koshiro Onchi, Printer: Junichiro Sekino, sakusha kenin (artist's approval) on reverse
Edition: 12/50
Signature: Onzi
Condition: Very good color and impression, small nicks on top margin.

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Description

Onchi's Portrait of the Poet Hagiwara Sakutaro can be found in three editions. The first printed by Onchi himself in a small edition in 1943, the second printed in an edition of 50 under Onchi's supervision by fellow artist Junichiro Sekino in c. 1949. The third edition was published by the artist's family after Onchi's death as a memorial edition and was printed by Koichi Hirai. The particular impression offered here is an example of the c.1949 impression printed by Sekino.

About the artist

The fourth son of Tetsuo Onchi, Koshiro Onchi was born into Tokyo aristocracy. His father tutored the three princes chosen to wed emperor Meiji’s daughters. After failing his high school entrance exam in 1909, Onchi pursued oil painting at the Hakubakai school. He enrolled in Tokyo School of Fine Arts in 1910, first pursuing oil painting, followed by sculpture. In October of 1913, Onchi and classmates Kyokichi Tanaka and Shizuo Fujimori seeded Tsukubae, planning the print and poetry magazine that would become an early medium for the Sosaku Hanga movement. After graduating in 1914, he continued magazine work.

 

Onchi published his first series of prints, Happiness in 1917, participating in the 1919 inaugural Nihon Sosaku Hanga Kyokai exhibition. In 1921, he began art-focused Naizai, along with Kenji Otsuki and Fujimori. Onchi dedicated himself to the promotion of printmaking, namely “creative prints,” as a legitimate art form. In 1928, following Lindbergh’s transatlantic flight, a newspaper hired Onchi to go up in a plane and record the experience in Sensations of Flight (1934). Though he made his living through illustration, he contributed to many magazines. He created book covers over the years and published multiple books of his own poetry. In 1949, Onchi received Japan’s first prize for book design. A leader and mentor of the Sosaku Hanga movement, he headed Ichimokukai, a monthly meeting of woodblock artists, from 1939 until the end of the occupation. He belonged to many progressive art movements including the League of Japanese Artists, Japan Abstract Art Club, and the International Print Association. Onchi’s early works may be signed “onzi.”