Background
Henmi Takashi (逸見享; 1895-1944), born in Nakayama, graduated from the Tokyo Municipal Higher Crafts School. He made a living as an accountant. His printmaking began around 1915 after seeing a posthumous exhibition of prints by Tanaka Kyôkichi (1892-1915). Thereafter Henmi was a very active printmaker, showing his work as early as 1919 when he exhibited with the first Nihon Sôsaku Hanga Kyôkai (Japan Creative Print Association). He became a member of that organization, as well as a founding member of Nihon Hanga Kyôkai (Japan Print Association). He contributed to such magazines as Shi to hanga (Poetry and Prints, 1922-c.1925), Kasuri (Ikat Fabric, 1934-36), Shosô (Window of Writing, 1935-1944), Kaze (Wind, 1927-28), and, as demonstrated by our copy of Henmi's design, Shin Tokyo hyakkei (One hundred views of New Tokyo: 新東京百景).
After much of Tokyo was destroyed by fire after the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake, a new wave of sôsaku-hanga artists banded together with the intention of documenting the changing face of the city. The artists called themselves the Takujô-sha ("Table Group") and the prints were published on a subscription basis* by the group through Nakajima Jûtarô of the Nihon Sôsaku Hanga Kyôkai (Japanese Creative Print Association 日本創作版画協会).
Henmi contributed 13 designs to Shin Tokyo hyakkei (100 views of new Tokyo: 新東京百景). The series was published on a subscription basis* by the Takujô group through Nakajima Jûtarô of the Sôsaku Hanga Club. All the artists represented in the series were members of Nihon Sôsaku Hanga Kyôkai (Japan Creative Print Association, est. 1918) as well as founding members of Nihon Hanga Kyôkai (Japan Print Association, 1931): Fujimori Shizuo (藤森静雄; 1891-1943), Fukazawa Sakuichi (深沢索一; 1896-1947), Henmi Takashi (逸見享; 1895-1944), Hiratsuka Un'ichi (平塚運一; 1895-1997), Kawakami Sumio (川上澄生; 1895-1972), Maekawa Senpan (前川千帆; 1885-1977), Onchi Kôshirô (恩地孝四郎; 1891-1955), Shimozawa Kihachirô (下澤木鉢郎; 1901-1984), and Suwa Kaneori (諏訪兼紀; 1897-1932).**
In the February 1932 Bulletin of the Hanga Club, Senpan Maekawa wrote: "Looking back over the Shin Tokyo Hyakkei series, it now seems to have been a very ambitious, long-term undertaking. It was in the autumn of Showa 3 (1928) when the first print by each of the eight artists represented in the series was displayed at the first exhibition of Takujô-sha. We are now in the fifth year since that time, and a five-year job is a very big one in this busy age of ours. Incidentally, I must remark that Tokyo today is developing and changing very rapidly. Yesterday’s Tokyo has already changed, and there are many prints in the early part of the series showing places that have changed. So they are really "Old" Tokyo and not "New" Tokyo. Indeed, we could start on another series of Shin Tokyo Hyakkei! I can sympathize with the spirit of the older artists who turned out series of Edo Hyakkei subsequent to the Hiroshige series. Those prints have a very nice taste in accordance with the spirit of the times. It might be a good idea to start another series of Tokyo Hyakkei by other artists; this might make clearer the real width and depth of the great city."
Design
Kagurazaka (神楽坂) is a small neighborhood close to Shinjuku, Tokyo that was once a lively geisha district. Today, elegant traditional restaurants (ryôtei 料亭) and kimono stores are flanked by modern Michelin-starred establishments and minimalist art galleries. One of town landmarks is the Bishamonten Zenkoku-ji (毘沙門天善國寺), first built in 1595 on the order of the first Tokugawa shogun Ieyasu (1543-1616) at Nihonbashi Bakurochô, Edo. After a devastating fire in 1670, and another in 1792, the newly rebuilt temple was relocated to its current spot at the center of the main street in Kakurazaka. Bishamon is an armor-clad god of war and punisher of evildoers, as well as one of the one of the Seven Lucky Gods) and a Buddhist protector of shrines and holy places. It still stands.
Henmi's print presents a nighttime view of a street overcrowded with pedestrians strolling through a night market. Many wear kimono, a nod toward traditional (nostalgic) dress and customs.There are a few quirky touches, such the sunlike rays of light from the lamps used by street vendors along the left side. Curious, too, are the two symbols of vision, a single eye near the right edge of the sheet, and further into the pictorial space, a pair of eyeglasses that seemingly float in the air. One may assume that these "signs" announce an oculist's shop. The use of pale yellow throughout the composition contrasts with a dense, dark blue-green sky, effectively dividing the scene into two sectors of space.
Henmi's works can be found in various public collections, including the British Museum, London; Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo; and National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian.
References:
*James Austin: Ukiyo-e Art A Journal of the Japan Ukiyo-e Society, No. 14, 1966.
**Merritt and Yamada: Guide to Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints, 1900-1975 (University of Hawaii Press, 1992), pp. 267-270.
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