Tsukioka Yoshitoshi
1839–1892
Monsters jumping out of a box scaring a man, draft for the print 'The Heavy Basket' (Omoi tsuzura), Around 1889
Preparatory drawing for a print; ink and color on paper
The size of this drawing, as well as the lines that divide the space, indicates that this design was intended for a book and would have been printed in a double-page spread. Most of the books that carry illustrations by Yoshitoshi were published from the late 1870s until 1891. The circular red seal in the center is the collection seal of Mizuno Toshikata (1866-1908), Yoshitoshi's foremost student, who probably received this work during his time in his teacher's studio. Like most of the successful print designers, Yoshitoshi operated a studio with several students working with him at the same time. We don't know exactly how many students he had, but his memorial stone lists 47 names. None achieved anywhere near the same fame as Yoshitoshi.
