喜多川きたがわ歌麿うたまろ「ポッピンを吹ふく娘むすめ」 初期しょき作品さくひん 国内こくないで発見はっけん

It has been discovered that an early print of Young Woman Blowing a Poppin by the Edo period ukiyo-e artist Kitagawa Utamaro, which was previously believed to exist only overseas, also remains in Japan.

The Girl Blowing a Poppin is one of several existing prints, including one owned by the Tokyo National Museum, and is one of the representative works of Utamaro Kitagawa, who specialized in portraits of beautiful women.

Since last month, a special exhibition has started at the Tokyo National Museum, and after a Tokyo art dealer learned that Girl Blowing a Poppin was on display, the museum received a message saying they had the same work. Upon investigation, it was determined to be genuine.

It is said that, since the title part of the work says Fujin Sōgaku Juttai instead of Fujin Ninso Juppin, which is held by the Tokyo National Museum, it was determined to be an earlier print from an older period.

Other early printed works are held by the Honolulu Museum of Art in Hawaii.

This work had been missing after being put up for auction in France over 40 years ago, but it was discovered to be in Japan. The color of the womans clothing remains vivid, and the piece is said to be in excellent condition.

Kana Murase, a researcher at the Tokyo National Museum who conducted the investigation, said, We were able to confirm the sharpness of the contour lines and the use of colors, and this is an important discovery for conducting deeper research into the artwork.

The recently discovered Girl Playing the Poppin will be on display at the special exhibition Tsutaya Jūzaburō: The Maverick of the Content Business at the Tokyo National Museum starting from the 20th of this month.