Signed Goyo ga, carved by Takano Shichinosuke, printed by Somekawa Kanzo, self-published April 1918 (Taisho 7). Japanese woodblock print, embellished with mica ground, metallic pigment and embossing, c. 55.4 x 39 cm.
A woman powders her bare shoulder while gazing into a hand mirror, her loose robe and elegant pose enhanced by the shimmering mica background, a hallmark of fine Japanese printmaking. Details such as the embossed gold on the mirror and ring, delicate blindprinting, and finely carved hairlines showcase the extraordinary craftsmanship of the print. Her ring, a Western accessory, subtly reflects the modernity of the era.
This is the most celebrated portrait personally published by Hashiguchi Goyo. Much of Goyo’s limited output was reportedly destroyed in the 1923 earthquake, making surviving works exceptionally rare. Though inspired by eighteenth-century Japanese bijin-ga, his refined use of line, pattern, and volume also reveals a strong influence from European drawing and painting techniques. His female subjects were typically geishas or attendants from restaurants and tea houses, and hence professional beauties.
Widely regarded as a masterpiece of shin-hanga bijin-ga, this print is especially prized when bearing the original carver and printer seals, confirming it as a lifetime edition. Examples can be found in several international museum collections. Compare a print from the same edition in the British Museum in London, acc. no 1981,0410,0.4, and a print, seemingly from the same edition, in the Honolulu Museum of Art in Honolulu, acc. no 20716.
