Fukuoka Kojiro – Yabukoji under Snow – Vintage Japanese Obara Paper Art on Shikishi

Original work by Japanese artist and washi paper master Fukuoka Kojiro, depicting yabukoji — Japanese ardisia with red berries beneath the snow.

The composition was created using Obara Paper Art, a distinctive technique developed in Obara, Aichi Prefecture. Rather than being painted onto a finished sheet, dyed kozo fibres were incorporated directly into the washi during the papermaking process. The image and the paper therefore form a single structure.

The work is mounted on a traditional shikishi board and marked with the artist’s red seal.

Fukuoka Kojiro was born in 1948 and trained under Kasugai Masayoshi, a student of Fujii Tatsukichi, one of the central figures in the development of Obara washi art. In 1977, Fukuoka accompanied his teacher to Dallas to demonstrate the traditional crafts of Aichi Prefecture.

According to the accompanying biographical sheet, his works were accepted for exhibitions including Nitten, the New Japan Crafts Exhibition, the Modern Crafts Exhibition and Kofukai. He worked from his own Kojiro Studio in Obara.

This seasonal composition is characteristic of Fukuoka’s work. The red berries and evergreen leaves appear against a winter background, while the fibrous surface of the handmade paper becomes part of the image itself.

Technique

Dyed kozo fibres, handmade washi, Obara Paper Art, mounted on shikishi.

This is not a collage of dried plants and not conventional painted decoration.

Period

Second half of the Showa period, probably late 1970s–1980s.

Size

Approximately 24 × 27 cm.

Condition

Good vintage condition. The original wrapper, biographical sheet and booklet show natural signs of age and storage. Irregularities and visible fibres in the surface are inherent features of the handmade paper and technique.

Please examine the photographs carefully, as they form part of the condition description.

Included

The original shikishi artwork, original wrapper bearing the title and artist’s name, biographical sheet and illustrated Obara Paper Art booklet.

Shipping

Safe and tracked shipping from Latvia (Riga Gallery of Japanese Art CloudyYokomido). Protective packaging.

For US buyers: US customs processing is prepaid through the shipping service, so no additional customs processing payment is required upon delivery.