HIGHLIGHT

This work is part of a series of woodblock prints based on the poems of literary critic Yoshijirō Yasuda. Yasuda was a long-time friend of Munakata and the person who inspired him to create book covers, illustrations, and bindings; Yasuda’s "Nihon no Hashi" ("Bridges of Japan") was Munakata’s first bookbinding project. Munakata described Yasuda’s "Kenka-shō" poems as works of high poetic sentiment expressing love for the country, noting that Yasuda had been called a “natural poet” by prominent writers such as Katsuichirō Kamei and Kazuo Dan. Although Munakata had previously made woodblock prints of poems by Isamu Yoshii and Jun’ichirō Tanizaki, he noted that this series presents a completely different world. Inspired by Yasuda’s patriotic poems, Munakata stated in "The Way of the Woodblock Print" (published 1956) that he intended to publish works freely after completing the fifty poems.

"Kenka-shō" comprises a total of 34 panels created between 1948 (Showa 23) and 1972 (Showa 47), and this work was produced in the final year, 1972 (Showa 47). It features a particularly vibrant and beautiful depiction of a young maiden.

Yoshijirō Yasuda (1910–1981), a literary critic from present-day Sakurai City, Nara Prefecture, graduated from the Department of Aesthetics at the University of Tokyo. While still a student, he founded the literary magazine "Kenka". In 1932 he founded "Cogito", and in 1935 "Nihon Romanha", promoting criticism of modern civilization alongside Japanese classical ideals. After being purged from public office following World War II, he founded the magazine "Sokoku" in 1949 and published numerous works. His major publications include "Nihon no Hashi", "Taikan Shijin no Goi Nito Mono", "Go-Toba In", and "Kindai no Shūen." He also co-authored "Poetry Collection: Kenka-shō" (1982, Kodansha) with Munakata.