How to date Shimura Tatsumi woodblock prints

How to date Five Figures of Modern Beauties series

A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I	J	K

A	Gihachi shirabezumi ぎはちしらべすみ (examined by Gihachi. Okuyama Gihachiro 奥山儀八郎 d.1981)
B	Tatsumi kenin 立美けん印 (approved by Tatsumi. Shimura Tatsumi 志村立美 d.1980)
C	Carver: Yashita Tadashichi 矢下忠七
D	Printer: Inomura Masanosuke 猪村正之助 b.1906 d.1965?
E	Printer: Ito Shuntaro 伊藤俊太郎 b.1904 d.1970?
F	Nihon Hanga Kenkyusho 日本版画研究所 (Japanese Printmaking Institute)
G	Signature: Tatsumi
H	Carver: Nakagawa Chushichi 中川忠七 b.1919
I	Printer: Onodera Ryuji 小野寺隆二 b.1935 (apprentice of Inomura)
J	Pencil signature
K	Seal (not read) with edition no.

1952, till not later than 1965
First state prints had both seals A and B. Seal A ceased when publisher F dissolved in 1954 and Okuyama family moved to Matsudo. Note that red seals were rather haphazardly applied and printed in different areas of margins (see above for examples of confirmed first states). Modern dealers frequently advertise that the first state was an edition of 200. First states or their folders did not indicate edition size and their relative rarity may actually suggest a much smaller first edition.

All early state prints had seal B, carver C, and printer D.** It is very probable that these prints were all first states given the aforementioned haphazard seal application and Okuyama had very likely left before printing was complete. In fact Okuyama was very erratic when applying his seal A to his own prints during this period, although he ultimately included these prints in his own catalogue years later (Japanese Woodblock Prints by Okuyama Gihachiro 1977). Seal A may have been applied with water soluble dye, which may explain it fading over time and its absence on restored prints.

Printer D worked on Okuyama's own prints in the mid to late 1940s. There were no known prints of any kind by printer D after the early 1960s. Much later printer I worked on Okuyama's restrikes.

** There were a handful of examples of Oibane with carver C and Yuyudo-employed printer E.

Circa 1976
A late lifetime edition was made by carver H and printer I. With early and later prints compared side-by-side, it appeared that the keyblock was repaired and colour blocks were either repaired or replaced (carver H and printer I specialized in high quality reproductions). This edition was pencil-signed J in a numbered edition of 300 (highest number known 96).

Later editions, again with carver H and printer I, were printed in editions of 150, 200, and 300 (highest numbers known 71, 39, and 113, respectively), and were numbered in pencil on a red circular seal K. No numbered editions appear to have been numerically completed. These were replaced soon after by an open edition with no red seals, nor pencil edition numbers, nor signature. The brochure for this open edition stated it was a lifetime edition, its edition size was 150 and retail price was ¥400,000.

The location of the wood blocks is unknown. Printer I was either himself reprinting Gihachiro's prints or supervising printing into the 2000s for Gihachiro's printmaking son, Okuyama Gijin (奥山義人 b.1934 d.2020).

Prints featured in The Female Image: 20th Century Prints of Japanese Beauties (Newland et al. 2000) were the open edition and the book's given titles do not match titles embossed on actual prints. Prints featured in Women of Shin Hanga: Judith and Joseph Barker Collection (ed. Hockley 2013) were also the open edition.

How to date later Shimura Tatsumi prints

L	M	N

L	Shimura seal (Yuyudo publisher 悠々洞出版)
M	Shimura seal
N	Shimura seal

There are 21 confirmed woodblock prints, selected from 75 paintings in States of Beauties 美人百態 published in 1976, in addition to the Five Modern Beauties. Shimura was awarded a national book prize in 1976 which was very likely the catalyst for renewed interest and Yuyudo publishing prints from the late 1970s into 1980s. Yuyudo earlier sold in sets and later sold framed (edition no. matches on print, frame and cardboard box).

The first 4 of these prints included seal B indicating that these were lifetime editions. The first 4 prints, nearing the end of their edition run, had a red memorial seal added: 特別追悼版. The remaining prints included only seals L, M or N indicating that these were posthumous editions.

The print Mayudama was likely the final print, published in 1991.

updated January 2026