Torii Kotondo (1900-1976)

When Torii Kotondo’s works first appeared in Japan, people distanced themselves due to their glamorous and “pretty” aesthetic. Today, Kotondo prints are difficult to find, sell as high as any of the great ukiyo-e artists, and have appreciated in value at a speed incomparable to other woodblock prints. Kamisuki is his most notorious work: a previous edition published in 1930 originally featured the subject fully nude. The print was banned after authorities declared it to be provocative, destroying thirty of its hundred copies.