Description: A hand carved Japanese hangi woodblock from the Edo era (1603 - 1867). It's from a poetry book and it has an illustration of Kannon (Japan) Or Quan Yin (China) the Goddess of Mercy. When these were made, a professional calligrapher wrote these kanji out on paper. The wood block carvers then carved these kanji letters exactly as the calligrapher wrote them out . . . backwards. They were carved in mirror writing so they would print. This woodblock has 2 pages of hand carved and readable kanji / Illustration. The other side of the woodblock has what we think are titles. We show both sides in the photos. The pages fold in the middle. These would have been carved on seasoned cherry wood. We have more hangi listed on our ebay sites. We attempted to make a printed copy. But don't judge the quality of the carvings from our print. The skilled level of carving in this is an art form that few people can do now. The best method of trying to read this is to hold it in front of a mirror and read it in the mirror. Or make a print. This is a part of history. This is how Japan printed pictures and books before lithographs and Gutenberg's ideas of movable type came into use in the late 1800's. Most hangi were used then planed down and re-carved when the carving became worn from use. The seasoned cherry wood was valuable. Many were destroyed in the fire bombings of Japan's cities during WW2. (Most hangi were produced in the cities) Hangi are relatively rare. It's 14 x 7 1/2 inches wide and 5/8 inches thick. It weighs just over 1 3/4 pounds. We have been selling Japanese antiques for 26 years and are shipping from Los AngelesWe have other antique/vintage Japanese items on ebay. Please see our "Other" items. We will combine items for shipping. If you are satisfied with our service please leave positive feedback with a five star rating.Contact us first if you are not satisfied with our service. We are easy to contact.You will receive your feedback after leaving feedback for us.Thank you!
Price: 175 USD
Location: Alhambra, California
End Time: 2024-12-07T00:48:45.000Z
Shipping Cost: 0 USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 14 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Primary Material: Wood
Original/Reproduction: Original
Region of Origin: Japan
Age: 1750 - 1880
