Watanabe Yoshiko (渡辺美子) — Loneliness on a Journey II (旅愁 II), 1986

A quietly lyrical modern woodblock by Watanabe Yoshiko (b. 1954). A bare winter tree bends over a temple wall and gate; delicate speckled printing evokes drifting snow and hushed air. The image distills the feeling named in the title—ryoshū (旅愁), the loneliness or homesickness felt while traveling—through restrained color, soft bokashi gradations, and sesame-printing textures (goma-zuri).

This impression is pencil-titled, dated ’86, and numbered 14/30, with the artist’s pencil signature in Japanese at lower right and red seal within the image. Professionally framed and matted; an original gallery bio card from Kanda’s Gallery B.O.Q. Co., Ltd. accompanies the work, noting Watanabe’s studies with master printer Heihachi Komatsu and exhibitions in the mid-1980s. An excellent example of late-20th-century sōsaku-hanga sensibility—artist-designed, carved, and printed in a small edition.

Details

• Artist: Watanabe Yoshiko (b. 1954)

• Title: Loneliness on a Journey II

• Title (JP): 旅愁（II）

• Date: 1986

• Medium: Color woodblock print (mokuhanga) on paper

• Edition: 14/30 (pencil-numbered)

• Signature/Seals: Pencil signature in Japanese at lower right; artist’s red seal at lower left; pencil title and date along lower margin

• Framing: Archival mat and frame (not examined out of frame)

• Provenance/Accompaniments: With Kanda’s Gallery B.O.Q. artist bio card (lists training under Heihachi Komatsu; exhibitions 1984–86 Shuyō-kai, 1985 Bangwa-in)

• Condition: Very good overall; minor mat tone consistent with age; colors fresh (conservator inspection recommended if reframing)

Notes
Watanabe’s landscapes are prized for their atmospheric surfaces and meditative mood. This scarce, low-edition print (only 30 impressions) is an appealing choice for collectors of contemporary Japanese prints and modern ukiyo-e revival.

Item Label

Loneliness on a Journey II — 旅愁（II）
Watanabe Yoshiko (渡辺美子, b. 1954), Japan, 1986
Color woodblock print on paper; edition 14/30
Pencil-titled, dated, and signed; artist’s red seal
Framed; with Kanda’s Gallery B.O.Q. bio card

Museum Card

Loneliness on a Journey II (旅愁 II)
Watanabe Yoshiko (渡辺美子), Japan, 1986
Color woodblock print (mokuhanga) on paper; ed. 14/30

Watanabe Yoshiko belongs to the generation that renewed Japan’s sōsaku-hanga tradition in the 1980s. Trained in woodblock techniques under master printer Heihachi Komatsu, she developed a quiet, textural approach that favors mood over topography. Here a wind-bent tree and temple wall suggest the classical theme of ryoshū—the solitude felt on the road. Subtle gradations and speckled goma-zuri printing create the sensation of falling snow and silence. Pencil-titled, dated, and signed, this small-edition impression comes with an original Kanda’s Gallery B.O.Q. artist card documenting her early exhibitions.