Yabu Chosui

Yabu Chosui was an artist active across the mid-19th century, with their documented career spanning the period from 1825 to 1867. Chosui’s known output consists primarily of prints, with seven unique compositions preserved in institutional holdings.

The quality of the surviving works establishes the artist’s technical skill and range of subject matter. These pieces engage with diverse themes, from genre and historical narrative, as seen in the prints A Gathering of Monks and Falconers on a Hunt, to detailed scenes of daily life or seasonal landscapes. Further examples include the scenic composition Lady Standing by a Stream Viewing Maple Trees in Autumn and the specific studies Clam Shells and Shamisen and Box.

The significance of Yabu Chosui is established by the representation of their work in prominent North American collections, notably the Art Institute of Chicago. The preservation of these documented pieces confirms their status as museum-quality artifacts. Today, due to the work of these institutions, researchers and collectors can often access high-quality prints of the artist’s work, with certain images available for study in the public domain.