1957, Azechi Umetaro, Bird in Safe Hands -- National Museum of Asian Art (Washington)
From the museum label: Azechi Umetaro was an avid mountaineer and wrote many articles and essays about mountain climbing and lore. The yama-otoko, a folkloric "man of the mountain" who embodied the primeval energy of his mountainous surroundings, was a frequent subject of his prints. The male figure depicted in Bird in Safe Hands was likely a composite image that represented both the fictional idea of the yama-otoko and the real men Azechi encountered on his excursions. Although he was mentored by Hiratsuka Un'ichi and Onchi Köshirõ, Azechi was a mostly self-trained artist. While uniquely his own, his primitive subjects and motifs were part of a broader trend in the visual arts at this time that embraced Japanese folk motifs and the styles and themes of the countryside.
1957, Azechi Umetaro, Bird in Safe Hands -- National Museum of Asian Art (Washington)
From the museum label: Azechi Umetaro was an avid mountaineer and wrote many articles and essays about mountain climbing and lore. The yama-otoko, a folkloric "man of the mountain" who embodied the primeval energy of his mountainous surroundings, was a frequent subject of his prints. The male figure depicted in Bird in Safe Hands was likely a composite image that represented both the fictional idea of the yama-otoko and the real men Azechi encountered on his excursions. Although he was mentored by Hiratsuka Un'ichi and Onchi Köshirõ, Azechi was a mostly self-trained artist. While uniquely his own, his primitive subjects and motifs were part of a broader trend in the visual arts at this time that embraced Japanese folk motifs and the styles and themes of the countryside.