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Can anyone help in identifying and translating the below print? I believe it is a Hosoda Eishi print. Is there anyway to tell if this is an original print? I have additional close up pictures if needed. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

Your print is by Chôbunsai Eishi and is Morokoshi of the Echizenya, from the series Beauties of the Yoshiwara as Six Floral Immortals (Seirô bijin Rokkasen). See the link below for an original at the Boston MFA. It looks like your print is not an original for 4 reasons:

1) It does not have the name of the beauty in a cartouche in the upper left.
2) It does not have the publisher's seal. (lower left on the MFA print)
3) It does not have the censor's seal. (lower left on the MFA print)
4) It appears to have a printed border around the print.

Cheers,
Stan

PS. In case the URL is too long and the link doesn't work, copy and paste this one:

http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/morokoshi-of-the-echizenya-from-the-series-beauties-of-the-yoshiwara-as-six-floral-immortals-seir-bijin-rokkasen-210875

URL Title :Morokoshi of the Echizenya

Thank you for your help, it is greatly appreciated. I see the missing items you stated. Having looked at it closer, I also noticed the inscription on the book is also missing, the colors are not the same on several parts of the print, such as on the lower part dress, the book maker, lines on paper next to the book, and the flower next to inscription on upper left are all different colors from the picture on the web site you sent me. Do you feel it is an horrible attempt to pass it along as a real woodblock print? I have attached addition pictures. Thank you again for all your help.

It likely is a "real" woodblock print. It simply is a reproduction of an older print, and I doubt that any "fakery" is intended. Otherwise all those details you mention would be evident..

Jim,
Thank you for your help. It is greatly appreciated. Joe

I should have said at least 4 reasons your print is not an original. I didn't need to look further but also noticed the lack of the book title.

The colors may not be the same from print to print on originals. The publisher may decide to change the color applied to a block for a run of prints. Areas where the color is smeared for effect never come out the same twice (an expanse of ocean, for example).

It might still be a woodblock print. If you see significant bleed through of the ink through the paper to the back, then it is very likely a woodblock print. From your latest pictures, it looks like it is mounted on another piece of paper and you probably can't view the back.

Most copies are better done than this one. Quite a bit of artistic license was taken with Eishi's original design. The advantage is that it is easy to tell that it is not an original.

Cheers,
Stan

Stan,
Thank you again for all your help. It is greatly appreciated. Joe

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