"A shūmei surimono illustrated by a woman artist" print featuring calligraphy and a tree, 1907

[Untitled shūmei surimono] Seiran, Joshi [Kawabe, Seiran] [illustrated by]. [Ōsaka: privately published], Meiji Hinotohitsuji [1907]. A scarce example of a shūmei (name-change) surimono illustrated by a woman artist. The print commemorates the name succession of the kabuki actors Nakamura Baigyoku II (1892–1921) and Nakamura Fukusuke IV (1866–1940), and was produced for the succession performances held at the Kadoza Theatre in Osaka in October 1907. Both actors often performed with Nakamura Ganjirō I (1860–1935), whose poem is included in the surimono. Additional verses are contributed by Kataoka Nizaemon XI (1858-1934) — renowned for his rivalry with Ganjirō — and Nakamura Shikan V (1865–1940), who would later achieve fame under the name Utaemon V. The artist, Kawabe Seiran (1868–1931), was a woman painter active in Osaka. Here she employs an elegant plum blossom design, a visual allusion to the name "Baigyoku". An acclaimed painter in the Nanga tradition, Seiran is also reported to have taught around thirty women at a painting school by about 1912. It was not until the Taishō period that illustrations by women artists began to appear in woodblock-printed publications in significant numbers; during the Meiji period, publishers still seem to have been hesitant to invest in the blockcutting and printing of designs by women artists. This was less of an obstacle in the case of surimono, which were privately commissioned and produced. One leaf, woodblock-printed on one side, complete. Several folds, occasional light stains, and a few wormholes. Discolouration and wear to extremities. Small seal to lower left corner. Sticker to verso. 45 x 59 cm. [DEALER DESCRIPTION]