Unsodo
Japanese wooblock publishing company
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Unsodo (芸艸堂, Unsōdō) is a Japanese publishing company, specializing in art books.[2] The company was founded in 1891 in Kyoto, Japan by Yamada Naosaburō (山田直三郎), and continues operations at its headquarters in Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto. Amongst other products, they produce hand carved and printed woodblock prints.[2]
Kyoto, Japan
Native name | 美術書出版株式会社芸艸堂 |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1891 Kyoto, Japan |
| Founder | Yamada Naosaburō |
| Headquarters | Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan[1] |
| Products | |
| Website | www |
Company name
History
Founded in Kyoto Japan in 1891, a major part of early production at Unsodo was that of kimono pattern books. Traditional woodblock printing methods would be used, as well as more modern methods, such as collotype printing.[2]
Over time Unsodo acquired carved woodblocks from other publishers in Japan, and would use them to print under their own Unsodo imprint.[2] Unsodo is the only publisher of art books bound using a traditional method named tesuri mokuhanga (手摺木版画).[4]
Unsodo have also commissioned and collaborate with 20th and 21st century artists to produce original carvings and prints, such as Shiro Kasamatsu,[5] Takeuchi Seihō[6] and Kamisaka Sekka.[7] With Seihō, they produced Seihō's Masterpieces (栖鳳逸品集, Seihō's Ippin Shū)[8] between 1937 and 1942 which was described by Jack Hillier as "one of the most magnificent printing achievements of the twentieth century."[9] With Kasamatsu, they have produced in excess of 100 original Shin-hanga prints between 1898 and 1991,[6] which they continue print.
From 1901 to 1906, Unsodo published the design periodical Shin-Bijutsukai (New Oceans of Art), that was edited by Furuya Kōrin and Kamisaka Sekka[10].