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I picked up two Japanese woodblock prints around 2004. Was searching through an antique store in a remote part of Northern California. They were unframed, rolled up in a basket. Was able to get both for $60, and had them framed.

I was never able to do much research, until now. Seems they are possibly prints by Utagawa Kunisada III. One is an exact match, while the other has a different text box, and both have different coloring.

My question for each one is, are my prints from the original woodblocks, or are they copies? I'm not worried about value at this point. Based on how 'worn' the prints look, I had assumed they were printed late in the woodblocks life cycle. Not so sure about the colors, unless it's severely faded.

Any help is greatly appreciated! I'll add the second print as the follow up post. I've added a photos of my print, the original can be seen on the link.



Link :print info

Here's the second print, along with info on the 'original;'. Note, the major difference I see between the two is the box of text on the right.



URL Title :Original info

Without seeing and feeling the paper, I can't give an absolute answer. Assuming they are not run off on a copy machine,they are originals. The value of these prints is low and there is no profit motive in carving new blocks and copying them.

Differ runs of prints can have different color palettes. Also, prints can be "edited". If an area of a print is damaged or needs changing a plug is cut out and a new piece inserted and carved.

Your prints are original.

Cheers,
Stan

Stan, thanks for the response. It would be nice to hear 'the prints will fund your retirement', but in all honesty, I never expected anything. It's just nice to finally know the who and when, though that brought up other questions.

I had them professionally framed, but from what I recall, the paper was thick and fibrous. Definitely not a photo copy!

Actually, the paper sounds unusual. The typical print is printed on paper that is like heavy toilet paper. We have a Kunisada print from a special run that is printed on heavy paper.

If you want prints to fund your retirement, you'll want to find prints by the likes of Hokusai, Utamaro, and other ukiyo-e masters in pristine condition. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the New Orleans Museum deaccessioned some Hokusai waterfall and other prints. We wanted one of the waterfall prints but got skunked. They went in the $18K+ range. We saw a clean copy of the Great Wave go for $30K.

Cheers,
Stan

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