Osaka Prints

From 1750 until the 1870s, Osaka in Japan was a flourishing centre of both theatre and printmaking. The calibre of its printwork is at last being recognized by scholars and collectors of Japanese art, and the value of individual prints has soared on the international market. This fully illustrated text gives an historical and aesthetic critique of the work of some 120 printmakers responsible for the famous prints of Osaka. The achievements of the greatest artists are described alongside their peers and the lifestyles of a flourishing 19th century civilization.