Noel Nouet, "Ushigome, Kagurazaka"

The quaint shops and restaurants of Kagurazaka, a shopping area in Tokyo, are shown here in the early evening. A beautiful design showcasing the old charm of pre-war Japan. The prints of Frenchman Noel Nouet were first produced by the publisher Doi Sadaichi in the 1930's from Nouet's pen sketches. The carvers employed by Doi took great care to replicate Nouet's pen strokes when carving the blocks, producing woodblock prints that look like illustrations.

Date: 1937
Size: Oban
Later printing (Endoh/Seki; printed ca. 1980s)
Publisher: Doi Eiichi
Condition: Excellent color and condition
Frame Shown: 16" x 24" x 1/2", Modern Metal, Walnut

Noel Nouet (1885-1969) is one of a handful of well-known artists from the West who established themselves as important figures in Japanese woodblock printmaking in the early 20th century (e.g. Elizabeth Keith, Paul Jacoulet, Lillian Miller). Primarily a poet and writer, Nouet was also an illustrator whose sketches caught the attention of the Doi publishing house. There are only about two dozen known woodblock prints by Noel Nouet.