A restored 1835 Japanese masterpiece, beautifully reproduced as a fine art giclée print.
A graceful red-crowned crane soars across the glowing disc of the rising sun, yielding a timeless symbol of longevity, beauty, and renewal in Japanese art.
I loved this image when I first saw it on the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s website. This was a woodblock print created by 八島岳亭 (Yashima Gakutei) back in about 1835. All of the prints were created so long ago that they all show a loss of detail, and portions were clipped. I spent many hours working on the restoration of the image. You can now enjoy something much closer to what this would have looked like nearly two centuries ago, for a price you can afford. I also cheated a little, as the original was a little over 8" (20cm) wide. Mine is almost 30% wider, so it makes a better presentation on your wall.
On the right, you will see the artist’s given name, 岳亭, written vertically, in black characters. Below, a red stamp appears to be a circle around a 島 character. But the circle is actually a stylized 八 character (see the breaks at the top and bottom of that oval/circle? Those make it two strokes, hence 八). This is 八島 (Yashima), the artist’s surname portion of his signature for this piece. Upon first glance, some may think it’s just a circle around 島 (Note: 島 means island by itself).
At the top are two poems celebrating the crane, the rising sun, longevity, and the renewal of spring.
The unsigned poem on the right is written in classical Chinese style. It is written in traditional vertical columns, read from top to bottom and proceeding from right to left. Below, I typed it left-to-right to match the orientation of this text:
天邊如布練
回轉又為霞
丹頂與丹頂
蘇生千歲華
This is a kanshi-style Chinese poem, which is Chinese-language poetry composed in the Japanese literary tradition.
It compares the horizon to a band of white silk and evokes the glowing haze or rosy clouds of dawn (霞), while the red crown of the crane visually echoes the red disc of the rising sun. Its final line, 蘇生千歲華, evokes renewed splendor and the crane’s traditional association with a thousand years of life.
A literal translation would be:
At heaven’s edge, like a length of white silk,
Wheeling about, it becomes rosy cloud.
Red crown meets red crown;
Reviving the splendor of a thousand years.
A more poetic English translation:
At the edge of heaven, like a band of white silk,
the crane wheels through the crimson clouds.
Its vermilion crown meets the vermilion sun,
renewing the splendor of a thousand years.
The poem at the upper left is a Japanese kyōka poem signed 倭和夛守 (Yamato Watamori), indicating that it is not by 岳亭 (Gakutei) himself. Here is the text:
しろたへの
鶴の羽衣
あけ方の
むらさきめくる
千金の春
Reading the cursive kuzushiji, the text resolves into the standard 5–7–5–7–7 structure. In modern Japanese orthography, the poem can be transcribed as:
白妙の
鶴の羽衣
明け方の
紫めくる
千金の春
The pronunciation (romaji) is: Shirotae no / tsuru no hagoromo / akegata no / murasaki-mekuru / senkin no haru
The literal translation:
The pure-white
feather robe of the crane,
at break of dawn,
becomes tinged with violet—
spring worth a thousand pieces of gold.
A slightly more poetic translation:
The crane’s robe of pure white feathers,
at the break of dawn
takes on a violet glow—
the priceless beauty
of spring.
The artist is believed to have been born around 1786, the illegitimate son of a samurai named Hirata who served the 徳川幕府 (Tokugawa shogunate). His mother later married into the 八島 (Yashima) family, from which the artist took the surname 八島 (Yashima).
This subject may be described in Japanese as 旭日飛鶴 (Kyokujitsu Hikaku), literally “Rising Sun and Flying Crane.” This is a descriptive title rather than a unique historical title for this particular print, and similar wording is used for other Japanese artworks depicting a crane with the rising sun.
Surviving impressions show varying degrees of fading, wear, loss of detail, and trimming. I spent many hours working on the restoration of the image. You can now enjoy something much closer to what this remarkable print would have looked like nearly two centuries ago, for a price you can afford.
About These High-Quality Prints:
I have invested over $6000 in my new Giclée fine art printer, and use UV inks that are expected to last 90 years if not hung in direct sunlight.
Yes, I am cheaper than AllPosters.com, and yet I use the highest-quality papers from the best sources along with the best archival inks. Also, you are buying a quality print from an Asian art fanatic. I really put my heart and soul into these prints.
Size Info:
I mainly offer this in an 11x14" size. This is a frame size that you can find at any place that sells picture frames in the USA. Use a coupon at Michaels and you can choose from frames that start at $12 for 11x14" sizes.
Other standard frame sizes like 8x10", 16x20", and huge 24x30" are available. If you need a different USA size or international metric size, just let me know, and we can work out the details.
If you get the standard size, it will be trimmed to exactly 8x10", 11x14" inches, etc. However, if you are going to buy a frame with pre-cut matting, I can create the print on a larger size sheet. For instance: A 16x20" frame with pre-cut matting will usually have a 11x14" hole for the image - If I print a 11x14" image on a 16x20" sheet, it will be much easier to frame (no need for mounting or hinging tape).
This option costs a few dollars extra but will make your life easier if you want to buy a frame that has a pre-cut mat.
These images visually explain the difference:
About the paper...
I am using some really nice museum-grade Palo Duro Etching paper. This is a high-performance textured cotton paper.
It gives you the classic look of a fine watercolor paper. The surface adds just the right amount of texture and will not distract from the details.
This is an OBA-free archival paper that is ideal for museum quality and conservation grade prints like this.
What does museum-grade mean in this context?
This means a museum curator would be comfortable putting this paper on display. The keys to museum quality are 100% cotton fiber, acid-free, lignin-free, and optical brightener (OBA) free.
If you would like a different paper for your print, please contact me. I have many handmade papers to choose from.
Here is a print in a nice
rustic wooden frame without matting.
You can also mount this in a frame
with pre-cut matting.
Satisfaction Guaranteed!
I love creating these fine art prints! I think they look even better in person than they do on the website. However, if you don't love your print when you receive it, just return it within 30 days for a full refund. No questions asked!
Want to know more about the printer?
It took me a few years to find just the right fine art giclée printer.
This Canon giclée printer has 18,432 nozzles and can fire more than 32 Million precision droplets of ink per second. Your home inkjet printer cannot compete with that.
There are 12 ink tanks, and with so many ink colors, the gamut is excellent.
This printer can reproduce any color the human eye can perceive, and the gradients and tones are smooth and, well, perfect.
I use only authentic Canon Lucia Pro pigment-based inks. This ink archival and UV-resistant. In independent laboratory testing, giclée prints created with this ink are rated to last 90 years without fading. You'll get a lifetime of enjoyment from this artwork.
