Lot 222

AN OUTSTANDING WOODBLOCK OF TOKYO PILGRIMAGE CLUB C 1860

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AN OUTSTANDING WOODBLOCK OF TOKYO PILGRIMAGE CLUB C 1860

Estimate: $1,000 - $1,500

Starting Bid: $500

(0 Bids)

by Soulis Auctions
June 27, 2026 11:30 AM CDT
Live Auction
529 West Lone Jack-Lee’s Summit Rd
Lone Jack, MO, US 64070

Utagawa Yoshitora (Active Circa 1836-1887)

The Tokyo Pilgrimage Club Departing for Ise Shrine

1860 -1870

The three sheet oban triptych documenting the grand departure of Tokyo pilgrimage clubs bound for the sacred Ise Grand Shrine is set against the Ryogoku Bridge over the Sumida River in the heart of old Edo (modern day Tokyo). The foreground is a kaleidoscope of color featuring matching festival attire, banners and Tengu masks. The jubilant and colorful composition documents the pop-culture side of an important Japanese religious journey to the Ise shrine. In the Edo period, travel was very expensive. Ordinary citizens who couldn't afford it formed neighborhood savings clubs where everyone would pitch in money, and a lottery would be drawn to choose who got to go to the shrine at Ise that year as representatives of the neighborhood. The towering, elaborate placards and banners carried by the crowd are the insignias of these specific clubs. Ise is a sacred geographic area of forests and rivers where a very important Shinto religious shrine complex is located.

each sight size measures 13.75 x 9.25 with a framed size of 20 x 36.5 inches.

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  • Provenance: The estate of John Adair Jr. (1942-2025), founder and proprietor of Kurofune Antiques in Tokyo (est. 1978), a world-renowned destination for Japanese basketry, prints and furniture featured in The New York Times, The New Yorker, and The Wall Street Journal.
  • Dimensions: each sight size measures 13.75 x 9.25 with a framed size of 20 x 36.5 inches.
  • Medium: Woodblock
  • Circa: 1860 -1870
  • Condition: Very good color with outstanding color, very clean, intact, no visible stain, damage, repair, punctures or tears, noting one very minor dark spot near a banner lower left of middle sheet. This work has not been examined outside the frame.

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Shipping

SHIPPING: After verifying that payment has been made and or all funds have cleared, Dirk Soulis Antiques LLC DBA Soulis Auctions will, as a courtesy to the client, undertake the packing and shipping of most purchases. Large items, Furniture, International Shipments and items deemed excessively fragile by Soulis Auctions may require special handling by a third party. Soulis Auctions will coordinate with the buyer's chosen shipper in these instances and will endeavor to provide as much assistance as possible. The cost for shipping handled in-house starts at $16 per box and or the actual cost of wood crate construction, in addition to the cost of insurance and postage or carrier charges. The cost of crates range by size; the majority fall into the range of $50 to $150.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $49 $5
$50 $199 $10
$200 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $200
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $99,999 $2,000
$100,000 + $10,000