Young Girl of Saipan and Hibiscus Flowers, Marianas 

Frenchman Paul Jacoulet, who came to Japan at the age of 3 and later studied under Nihonga (modern Japanese-style painting) artists, established the Jacoulet Hanga Kenkyujo (Jacoulet Institue of Prints) in 1933. He went on to make pictures for more than 160 woodblock prints, but this one was his very first, and it was included in the portfolio Sekai fuzoku hanga shu (Genre Prints from the World). The blocks were carved by Yamagishi Kazue, and the print was made by Urushibara Eijiro, both of whom were preeminent in their fields at the time.
The artist’s delicate brush strokes have been captured in the carved block even in the details like the eyelashes, while the printer has added touches of color to accentuate the contours of the girl’s body and mica to finish the background. Through these techniques, Jacoulet’s depictions of the girl and the large flower—sufficient in themselves to powerfully evoke South Seas fragrances and sunlight—have been skillfully transferred to the print.
(SAKAMOTO Kyoko)