A master of intricate detail and exquisite line, Hashiguchi Goyo 橋口五葉 began his artistic training under Hashimoto Gaho, a leader of the Kano style of painting at the Tokyo School of Fine Art, graduating at the top of his class in 1905. Shortly thereafter, the prominent Tokyo woodblock print publisher, Watanabe, convinced Goyo to design prints. In 1915, Watanabe published Goyo’s first woodblock print, Nude After Bathing. His sensitive portrayal of women in a delicate, serene and infinitely graceful mode led to Goyo’s immediate popularity. His mastery of line and composition is equally apparent in his tender drawings. These drawings, however, are little known in the West and are extremely scarce.
