1748 Tachibana Morikuni Lucky Sea Bream Print 鯛釣図 Edo Period Woodblock Print (B5 Framed)

Good antique condition overall. The lines remain sharp and clearly printed. There is some insect damage resulting in small holes, along with scattered water spots and staining consistent with age. The print is housed in a wooden frame with an acrylic protective panel.

This authentic Edo-period woodblock print was created in Kan'en 1 (1748) by Tachibana Morikuni (1679–1748), one of the most influential artists and painting instructors of the Kyoto–Osaka region during the mid-Edo period.

The composition depicts a fisherman catching a tai (sea bream), a fish long associated with good fortune, celebration, and prosperity in Japanese culture. Sea bream remains one of Japan's most important auspicious symbols and frequently appears in artworks, festival decorations, and New Year celebrations.

Morikuni was a Kano-school town painter whose published painting manuals had a profound influence on later generations of artists. Together with contemporaries such as Nishikawa Sukenobu and Ōoka Shunboku, he helped shape the artistic traditions that would eventually influence ukiyo-e and popular illustrated books throughout the Edo period.

Works by Morikuni are held in major collections worldwide, including the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the New York Public Library, and other important institutions.

An intriguing tradition surrounding this particular image suggests that elements of the brushwork may contain coded Christian symbolism. During the Edo period, Christianity was prohibited throughout Japan, and some researchers and collectors have proposed that certain visual motifs in artworks were occasionally used to communicate hidden religious messages. One interpretation associates the composition with the Latin phrase Duc in Altum ("Put out into the deep"), a biblical passage from Luke 5:4. adding an additional layer of historical interest to an already fascinating Edo-period print.

A rare and historically significant example of early Japanese woodblock printing by one of the most influential artists of the Kyoto–Osaka artistic tradition.