Bansan Co., Ltd. (2024.11.12) Bansan Co., Ltd. Ryoma Sakamoto stands on Katsurahama – Reproduced in the Ryoma Ukiyo-e Project spin-off project! The image of Ryoma thinking about the ocean at the beautiful Katsurahama Beach in his hometown of Tosa has now been recreated in ukiyo-e. Reiwa publisher Bansan Co., Ltd. collaborates with Ryoma Sakamoto’s descendants We created “Katsurahama” as a spin-off project of the “Ukiyo-e: Scenery seen by Ryoma” project. The online shop Banzo Ukiyo-e Studio will begin accepting reservations for “The Scenery Seen by Ryoma: Katsurahama” from November 15th.
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https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/31094/83/31094-83-e538c15ea95e5f4d7ba7d8e6bc805bb5-309×440.jpg Sakamoto Ryoma, a leading figure in the Meiji Restoration, must have used the Tokaido route many times during the late Edo period when commuting between Edo, his hometown of the Tosa domain, and Kyoto, his center of activity. The journey starts from Edo Nihonbashi, crosses the first post town of Shinagawa, crosses the Tama River, which is famous for its raging river, crosses Mt. Fuji, and descends to Numazu and Kuwana… What kind of scenery did Ryoma see at that time? In the Edo period, when there were no photographs yet, ukiyo-e prints depicting various parts of the country, such as Katsushika Hokusai’s “Thirty-Six Views of Mt. Fuji” and Hiroshige Utagawa’s “Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido”, tell us about this. In particular, Hiroshige’s “Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido” depicts not only landscapes but also people, and is extremely valuable as a document that conveys the atmosphere and people of the time. Mr. Masahiro Sakamoto, a descendant of Ryoma Sakamoto and the 10th generation of the Sakamoto family, and Bansan Co., Ltd.
(Representative Director Eiji Sakai), which plans and produces various works, continues to take on new challenges while preserving tradition in order to inherit the traditional craft technique of ukiyo-e. ) have teamed up to create the “Ukiyo-e Ryoma Scenery” project, which is an effort to recreate Ryoma Sakamoto, a hero of the end of the Edo period, in ukiyo-e. Produced by the Sakamoto family, the ukiyo-e artist from the ukiyo-e publisher, Banzo, created the illustrations using the ancient methods of Edo tradition, bringing Ryoma running through the Tokaido and the scenery he saw back to life in the Reiwa era. [Pray for the Japanese paper used for the prints at a shrine related to Ryoma] There is Warei Shrine in Kochi Prefecture, which has been enshrined as the guardian deity of the Sakamoto family for generations. It is said that this is the shrine where Ryoma prayed for good fortune in arms on March 23, 1862, when he decided to leave his hometown of the Tosa domain. The treasured sword of the Sakamoto family was dedicated to the shrine, and it is said that Ryoma drank sake with his ancestors here until the morning, and reported his resolve to quit the domain, which was a serious crime at the time. The Echizen Washi paper used in “Ukiyo-e: The Scenery Seen by Ryoma” was deeply prayed for here at Warei Shrine by Mr. Masahiro, the 10th generation of the Sakamoto family, and is a special piece of paper imbued with the power of Ryoma, who was active in all directions after leaving the domain. It is made of Japanese paper.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/31094/83/31094-83-2688dc91fb9972e9120cfe0883dd610c-680×160.jpg [Ryoma Project new work is a spin-off project Katsurahama] The “Ukiyo-e: Scenery seen by Ryoma” project is based on the
“Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido” drawn by Utagawa Hiroshige, and is based on the motif of “The Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido.” It is a project to create a giclee print of an ukiyo-e that reproduces Ryoma, and to release it sequentially in a limited edition of 100 pieces. We have already started accepting reservations for the first installment “Nihonbashi”, the second “Shinagawa”, and the third “Kawasaki”, but the current work “The Scenery Seen by Ryoma: Katsurahama” is based on the “Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido.” This is a spin-off work based on Katsurahama, which is said to be Ryoma’s favorite place in his hometown of Tosa, although it does not appear in “The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido” style. Katsurahama Beach, which is famous as a moon spot, is an arch-shaped stretch of coast between Cape Ryuzu and Cape Ryuo. Cape Ryuzu has a statue of Ryoma Sakamoto, completed in 1939, and is a popular spot visited by many Ryoma fans from all over the country. Ryoma and his older sister Otome look out at the majestic Katsurahama Beach overlooking the Pacific Ocean, where colorful pebbles called “Goshiki Stones” shine on the shore of the waves, creating a magical and beautiful sight. It depicts a person gazing at Saitaniya’s sailing ship and thinking about the ocean. [Product overview] Image
URL: https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/31094/83/31094-83-b42d252c9a32f2be193c591193e9a69d-676×538.jpg Product name: Ryoma Sakamoto Ukiyo-e The scenery seen by Ryoma, Katsurahama [specially framed] Reservation start: November 15, 2024 (Scheduled to be shipped sequentially from late December 2024) Sales price: 50,000 yen (excluding tax and shipping) Number of sales: limited to 100 pieces Publisher: Bansan Co., Ltd. Framed size: H approx. 448mm x W approx. 563mm Material (framed part): wood, resin, acrylic Japanese paper (illustration): Pure handmade Japanese paper (Echizen Japanese paper making Iwano Heizaburo Paper Mill) Technique: Giclee print Cover: Yoshiyuki Emata
https://www.ukiyoework.com/view/item/000000000249 Online shop: Ukiyoe Workshop https://www.ukiyoework.com [About Bansan Co., Ltd.]
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/31094/83/31094-83-eb39795c5de47f138f48f28bc9746401-262×226.jpg The model for the main character in next year’s taiga drama is Edo period print producer Tsutaya Juzaburo. Juzaburo was the president of a publisher during the Edo period and was a media king. At that time, they created guidebooks to red-light districts, then opened
bookstores, and discovered new artists and ukiyo-e artists. After that, he became a big hit by publishing humorous books and prints. Although he eventually achieved a top-notch track record and amassed wealth as a publisher, Eiji Sakai, the representative director of Bansan Co., Ltd., can be said to be the modern version of Juzaburo. Hansan employs many artists who draw ukiyo-e, carvers who carve prints, and printers who finish the prints, and they are still involved in the production of many prints. [About Judai Sakamoto Masahiro Sakamoto]
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/31094/83/31094-83-4e509e62e40d4e6edce3783c0265d4d8-300×300.jpg Ryoma Sakamoto had no children. The headship of the Sakamoto family was passed on to Ryoma’s older brother, Gonpei, and Masahiro Sakamoto is the 10th generation from Ryoma’s great-grandfather, Naomi Sakamoto. As a descendant of Ryoma, he serves as a permanent advisor to the National Ryoma Shachu General Incorporated Association (Ryoma-kai), a special tourism envoy for Kochi Prefecture, and a tourism ambassador for Nagasaki City, and travels around Japan every weekend carrying out activities to pass on Ryoma Sakamoto’s aspirations. Masu. Also, this spring, we established Tosa Shokai Co., Ltd., a corporate organization that inherited Ryoma’s will, and started a new Sakamoto family official recognition system. Tosa Shokai Co., Ltd. will donate a portion of its profits to public interest activities and projects related to Ryoma Sakamoto, including the above-mentioned general incorporated association, Zenkoku Ryoma Shachu. [Sakamoto family official recognition system]
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/31094/83/31094-83-46fa8b9b6da4e5a7021eded4fef02ef2-526×526.jpg The Sakamoto Family Official Approval System is a system in which the tenth generation head of the Sakamoto family takes responsibility for officially approving products and services related to Ryoma Sakamoto that are appropriate for Ryoma Sakamoto’s will and virtues that have been passed down through the Sakamoto family. It started in 2024 to spread Ryoma’s “spirit of self-forgetfulness and altruism” and create a better future and a society where everyone can live happily. [Ukiyo-e: The scenery seen by Ryoma Officially recognized No. 2]
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/31094/83/31094-83-1997f342f8fd91121816c9a2d83150fc-265×526.jpg The first Sakamoto family official recognition system is “Real Ryoma CG” by Yakult Honsha Co., Ltd. This is the CG of “Real Ryoma” that was aired in the Yakult 1000 commercial that aired from January 2024, and was supervised and approved by Masahiro Sakamoto, the 10th generation head of the Sakamoto family. The “Ukiyo-e Ryoma Scenery Series” is a collaboration work between Sakamoto Ryoma and the 53 Stations of the Tokaido, an ukiyo-e that represents the Edo period, so it has been officially recognized as the second edition (the first for a product). Each Ukiyo-e is numbered and comes with an official certificate as proof of the Sakamoto family’s official recognition. In the spirit of protecting Ryoma as the Sakamoto family, we will continue to strive to increase the number of official recognitions in this way. [Ukiyo-e and Ryoma can be used for town revitalization] The completed ukiyo-e prints can be used for secondary purposes such as labels, wrapping paper, posters, etc. only for products and services that are appropriate for Ryoma Sakamoto’s will and virtues, such as for the revitalization of the towns in the regions where they were modeled. If you would like to contribute to regional revitalization, please contact the person below.
