Designer: Hishikawa Moronobu | Carver: David Bull | Printer: David Bull

Paper size: 22.5cm by 16.5cm | Enlargement | Shipping Code: [M] ? | Currency: $ / £ / €

Price: $ 55.00£ 44.50€ 50.75 [Reprinting]

Description: The print is a page from a book published in 1689, with illustrations by the famous Hishikawa Moronobu. It is a collection about the lives of 'Taoist Immortals', so perhaps we are looking at a scene from China or perhaps Korea.

Each story is complete on one page; this one can be translated: "The woman known as Wa-sen, when younger put off marriage and studied to follow the path of Tao. Even when immersed in water she was able to stay dry; when in a very cold place she needed no more than the thinnest of clothing and her face did not change colour; and when she struck the rocks with her stick, a door opened wide and she entered to find gold and silver treasure."

There is also a comment to the effect that 'finally, she could ascend to heaven', but it is not clear if this was something that happened after she died, or was just the last stage of her training ...