Komura Settai 小村雪岱
1887-1940. Born in Saitama Prefecture.
A Nihonga painter, illustrator, and book designer active from the Taisho to the early Showa period. His real name was Yasunami Taisuke, originally surnamed Komatsu (he was adopted into the Yasunami family in 1905). He completed the elective course in Nihonga at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts, where he studied under Shimomura Kanzan and later became a pupil of Matsuoka Eikyu. After graduation, he earned a living producing preparatory drawings for reproductions of classical works at Kokkasha.
In 1914, he received the art name "Settai" from Izumi Kyoka after designing the cover for Kyoka's novel Nihonbashi, his first work in book design. Thereafter, he worked extensively on book design and illustration, primarily for Kyoka's publications. His reputation was firmly established through his illustrations for Kunieda Kanji's novel Osen, which began serialization in the Asahi Shimbun in 1933.
He also demonstrated remarkable talent in design and stage art. In 1918, he joined the design department of Shiseido (resigning in December 1923), where he contributed to advertising design and helped lay the foundation for the "Shiseido typeface," exhibiting a refined modern aesthetic. This exceptional sense of composition was also applied to stage design, where he worked on numerous productions, including Kasuga no Tsubone and Daibosatsu Toge at the Kabuki-za, as well as Ippongatana Dohyo-iri and Genroku Chushingura at the Tokyo Gekijo.
Known for a crisp, elegant style that reinterpreted Edo-period sensibilities in a modern form, he is often referred to as the "Harunobu of the Showa era."
Komura Settai
Miss Oden's Hell - Umbrella, Tattoo
Woodblock Print 25.5x51.5cm each (Image size) / 70.5x168cm (byobu size)
昭和10年頃 (c.1935)
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Komura Settai
Eggplants
Painted on Silk 32.5x43cm (Image size) / 122.5x56 (scroll size)
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Komura Settai
The Ocean
Watercolor, Pencil on Paper 22x16cm (Image size) / 40.2x33.6cm (Frame size)
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Komura Settai
Illustrations
Bokusai on Paper approx. 16x22.5cm each (Sheet size)
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Komura Settai
Stage design for "Tanbo" by Kimura Tomiko
Painted on Paper 7.5x36.3cm (Image size)
1930
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Komura Settai
Miss Oden's Hell - Rickshaw
Woodblock Print 26.9x52cm (Sheet size)
昭和10年頃 (c.1935)
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Komura Settai
Willow Tree
Woodblock Print 42.3x28.2cm (Image size)
昭和16年頃 (c.1941)
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Komura Settai
Miss Oden's Hell - Umbrella
Woodblock Print 25.8x51.4cm (Image size) / 114.5x66cm (scroll size)
昭和10年頃 (c.1935)
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Komura Settai
Light and Shadow (Shadow of the Cherry Blossoms)
Woodblock Print 38.2x25.3cm (Image size of woodblock print)
1939
Now under negotiation.
Komura Settai
Autumn Leaves
Woodblock Print 29x21cm (Image size) / 108x33cm (scroll size)
昭和13年頃 (c.1938)
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Komura Settai
Night Scene at Yushima
Woodblock Print 15.9x21.7cm (Image size)
1943
Now under negotiation.
Komura Settai
Uchiwa-e: Spring Rain
Woodblock Print 20.3x23cm (Image size)
昭和17年頃 (c.1942)
250,000 JPY
Komura Settai
Uchiwa-e: Night Rain
Woodblock Print 20x22.4cm (Mat opening) / 36x50.5cm (Frame size)
昭和17年頃 (c.1942)
250,000 JPY
Komura Settai
Uchiwa-e: Night Rain
Woodblock Print 20.4x23cm (Image size)
昭和17年頃 (c.1942)
250,000 JPY
Komura Settai
Sketch
Bokusai, Pencil on Paper 15.7x15.8cm (Mat opening) / 35.6x35.8cm (Frame size)
45,000 JPY
