Yosano Akiko 与謝野晶子 - A4 Riso Print (Signed and Numbered)
Yosano Akiko 与謝野晶子
Pioneering feminist, author, poet
先駆的な日本のフェミニスト、作家、歌人 (1878年12月7日–1942年5月29日)
「社会に害毒を流す」そして「女郎向きの卑俗な言葉ばかり表される」という理由で、彼女の作品は文芸評論家に排斥されて、歌人同士に攻撃されました。
As a child, Yosano worked in her family’s business selling yōkan confectionary. During high school, she took an interest in a poetry magazine and became a prominent contributor. After meeting the magazine’s editor, they quickly fell in love, married, and had children.
Yosano released her first volume of tanka poetry in 1901 called Midaregami, a collection of 400 poems. The traditional Japanese values that expected women to be modest, passive, and focused on child-rearing were challenged by Yosano—her poetry depicted women as progressive, active agents in control of their love lives. Her unconventional views caused an uproar—her work was denounced by literary critics, and she was attacked by fellow poets for “corrupting public morals” and “mouthing obscenities fit for a whore.”
Throughout her life, she became an outspoken feminist and pacifist, writing poems that denounced the Russo-Japanese war, making her one of the most controversial figures in Japan. In her 1911 poem "The Day the Mountains Move,” she asked for women to be given equal rights.
Although she remained a feminist for the rest of her life, she was eventually swallowed up by war fever and abandoned her pacifist views. She turned to the right during the war against China in 1931. Her once creative poetry turned into cliche, nationalistic phrasing, and her death in 1942 went largely unnoticed.
What is a riso print?
These prints use risograph technology, a method of printing developed in Japan in the mid-1980s. It can be described as a mix between screenprinting and photocopying. The risograph process produces prints with extremely vibrant, crisp inks, and sometimes these inks overlap during the printing process to create interesting and unique details. These soy-based inks also have a lower environmental impact.
Product details
Printed in Tokyo, Japan by Hand Saw Press print studio. Each print is A4 size (210 x 297 mm / 8.27 x 11.69 in) and printed on Natural White 186gsm Takeo Araveal paper. Acid-free and FSC Approved.
Each print is signed with a traditional Japanese ‘hanko’ artist stamp and hand-numbered from a limited edition of 20. Prints are packaged in cello bags with rigid cardboard inserts and shipped in flat mailers.
Please note that frames are not included.
Delivery times & prices
We ship worldwide. 日本へ国際郵便で送ります。
UK deliveries: 3-4 working days via Royal Mail 1st class
International deliveries available via Royal Mail International Standard Airmail
Prices calculated during checkout
For more information on shipping times for international deliveries, please check the delivery & returns page.
