Edutainment > Maiko Prints by Sadanobu III Hasegawa (1881-1963)

Maiko Print I

Japanese Woodblock Prints
Maiko in Front of Kiyomizu Temple
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Japanese printmakers have always been attracted to show beautiful young girls. Maiko are geisha apprenctices, young and beautiful. Sadanobu III Hasegawa (1881-1963) made woodblock prints after world war II showing maiko beauties. They were published by Uchida in Kyoto in the 1950s.

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Maiko

Maiko are Geisha apprentices. They can still be seen in Kyoto's colorful old Gion district with their white face masks, clad in lush kimonos and walking with old-fashioned high Japanese plateau shoes.

Sadanobu III Hasegawa 1881-1963

Sadanobu III Hasegawa was the son of Sadanobu II Hasegawa (1848-1886). His speciality were woodblock prints of Japanese stereotypes like samurai, bijin (beautiful women), kabuki actors and bunraku puppets.

Series of Maiko Woodblock Prints

Maiko Print II

Kiyomizu Temple
Autumn Maple Leaves of Kiyomizu Temple
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Uchida published several series of woodblock prints by Sadanobu III Hasegawa after world war II. The subjects are either taken from Japan's past like images of samurai on horse or they are very romantic like the maiko prints. Critics say that these prints were made for the market of the American soldiers stationed in Japan and for foreign tourists. They show a stereotype Japan that has little to do with the reality of the country in the twentieth century.

These critics certainly have a point. But who cares? Who decides that it is "less art" than for instance any child-like scribbling that you can buy for hundreds or thousands of dollars just because some art business people rank them as "high art"?

The Maiko prints shown on this page were published by Uchida in the 1950s. Early editions came with a simple presentation folder and carried the Uchida stamp on the folder. They are original Japanese woodblock prints and were made completely by hand by skillful carvers and printers in the same way as woodblock prints were made in the 19th century.

Dieter Wanczura
(August 2009)

Gallery of Maiko Prints

Tomikichiro Tokuriki - Biography
Maiko in Winter
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Clifton Karhu - Biography
Maiko in Autumn
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Nomura Yoshimitsu - Biography
Maiko in Summer
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Takeji Asano - Biography
Maiko in Spring
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Printmakers from Kyoto
Maiko Playing Hand Drum
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Katsuyuki Nishijima - Biography
Washing Hands - Kyoto Maiko
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