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Lot 126
TOSA SCHOOL (18TH CENTURY)
Whale hunting and harvesting
Closed18 March 2025
Estimate
USD 30,000–50,000
More Information
Specialist note
The depiction of whale hunting is extremely rare in Japanese art, and only a few examples are known.
One notable work is a six-panel screen by Tosa Mitsunori (1583–1638), depicting an almost identical hunting scene. This piece, in the collection of Osaka Museum of History, is believed to be the oldest known painting on this subject.
A print artist from the 19th century, Utagawa Hiroshige II (1826–1869), also explored this theme in his work Hizen Goto geiryo no zu (View of a Whale Hunt at Goto in Hizen Province), which is part of the series Shokoku meisho hyakkei (One Hundred Famous Views in the Various Provinces).
One notable work is a six-panel screen by Tosa Mitsunori (1583–1638), depicting an almost identical hunting scene. This piece, in the collection of Osaka Museum of History, is believed to be the oldest known painting on this subject.
A print artist from the 19th century, Utagawa Hiroshige II (1826–1869), also explored this theme in his work Hizen Goto geiryo no zu (View of a Whale Hunt at Goto in Hizen Province), which is part of the series Shokoku meisho hyakkei (One Hundred Famous Views in the Various Provinces).