Crows, cranes & camellias

Little is known about the print artist Koson, whose career commenced at a time when the Ukiyo-e print tradition was dying out and the shin hanga ( new print ) movement had not yet begun. He received little recognition in Japan but many of his prints of birds and flowers, characterized by their peaceful charm, were sold abroad, mainly in the United States and Europe, where things Japanese found an eager market. Japan only recently honoured Koson with an exhibition, organized after the discovery of some valuable material, including many of his original paintings and sketches. This book about Koson is the first Western publication of his oeuvre of prints and paintings, based upon a private Dutch collection. It provides all known information on the artist's life and work, his teachers and publishers, facs imiles of his signatures and seals and illustrations of an estimated 90 per cent of his total print output. The definitive book for Koson collectors.