Auction introduction: We are delighted to announce the sale of a Private Collection of Fine Japanese Prints, including woodblock prints by Toshusai Sharaku, Katsushika Hokusai, Kitagawa Utamaro and Tsukioka Yoshitoshi. Among this group is Sharaku’s expressive and dramatic depiction of the Actor Otani Tokuji in the role of the Servant Sodesuke and two elegant depictions of beauties by Utamaro. A large group of Hokusai prints complement these works, including two impressions from Hokusai’s sinister One Hundred Ghost Tales (Hyaku monogatari), their iconography rich in legendary folklore. Also included are a group of prints from the series One Hundred Poems Explained by the Nurse (Hyakunin isshu uba ga etoki), coloured in lively hues, and a selection of thirteen prints from the series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjurokkei). The sale concludes with several vibrant triptychs by Yoshitoshi.