Itō Sōzan (Japan, 1884-?) Three prints, o-tanzaku, from the series Setsugekka no uchi (雪月花のうち), Snow, moon and flowers, plates Hana (花), Flowers, Yuki (雪), Snow and Tsuki (月), Moon. Signed Sōzan and stamped Sō and Zan. Publisher Watanabe Shōzaburō and stamp on one. After 1923. Size 38.4 x 17 cm Itō Sōzan was the third artist to make shinsaku hanga (new prints) commissioned by Watanabe Shōzaburō. This set of three Ō-tanzaku is a rare example with the theme of beautiful women (bijin) in a body of work mostly centred around kachō-ga (Images of flowers and birds). The Setsugekka (Snow, moon and flowers) theme comes from a famous Tang-period poem composed by Bai Juyi (772-846). Reference: One of three prints reproduced in: Uhlenbeck, Dwinger, Ouweleen, Shin hanga: Les Estampes Modernes du Japon 1900-1960, Éditions Hazan (2022), p.33