
Appraisal: 1930 Torii Kotondo 'Kamisuki' Woodblock Print
Clip: Season 28 Episode 10 | 3m 10sVideo has Closed Captions
Appraisal: Torii Kotondo 'Kamisuki' Woodblock Print, ca. 1930
Watch Sachiko Hori’s appraisal of a Torii Kotondo "Kamisuki" woodblock print, ca. 1930, in North Carolina Museum of Art, Hour 1.
Problems with Closed Captions? Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems with Closed Captions? Closed Captioning Feedback
Funding for ANTIQUES ROADSHOW is provided by Ancestry and American Cruise Lines. Additional funding is provided by public television viewers.

Appraisal: 1930 Torii Kotondo 'Kamisuki' Woodblock Print
Clip: Season 28 Episode 10 | 3m 10sVideo has Closed Captions
Watch Sachiko Hori’s appraisal of a Torii Kotondo "Kamisuki" woodblock print, ca. 1930, in North Carolina Museum of Art, Hour 1.
Problems with Closed Captions? Closed Captioning Feedback
How to Watch Antiques Roadshow
Antiques Roadshow is available to stream on pbs.org and the free PBS App, available on iPhone, Apple TV, Android TV, Android smartphones, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Tablet, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, and Vizio.
Buy Now

ANTIQUES ROADSHOW 2025 Tour!
Enter now for a chance to win free tickets to ANTIQUES ROADSHOW's 2025 Tour! Plus, see which cities we're headed to!Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipGUEST: I'm hoping it's a woodblock print.
APPRAISER: Mm-hmm?
GUEST: A friend of mine gave me, or let me choose, two.
And these prints were given to her by her aunt, who had a friend that had a friend that worked in the embassy during World War II.
APPRAISER: Ah.
GUEST: So they were exchanged, I, we were told, for food, medicines, or whatever.
APPRAISER: Yeah, yeah.
GUEST: She was given a, a, a fairly good-sized stack of all kinds.
APPRAISER: Mm-hmm.
GUEST: And she told me I could pick two.
And this was my favorite.
APPRAISER: Oh, you did well.
GUEST: Oh, good.
(both laugh) APPRAISER: You know what it is?
GUEST: I think it's a woodblock.
APPRAISER: Yes, it is.
A woodblock print.
GUEST: I'm hoping-- that's what we were told.
APPRAISER: Yes, woodblock print.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: But, uh, um, not traditional one.
It's an early 20th century...
GUEST: Ooh.
APPRAISER: ...called sosaku-hanga.
So the, uh, artist, Kotondo, is very famous.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: And all the print collectors like him.
His, um, last name was Torii.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: And he's, um, famous, um, maker, famous, uh, printmaker, making, uh, posters for kabuki.
Also, uh, he did bijin-ga, meaning "beautiful women prints."
It's very popular.
GUEST: That's where this comes from, yeah, okay.
APPRAISER: Yes and he worked in Tokyo.
And it's signed here, Kotondo.
Here-- it says its artist's name and the artist's name in a seal.
It's dated Showa, Showa-- fourth of Showa.
So that's around 1930s.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: And she's combing her hair, actually, right?
GUEST: Yeah.
APPRAISER: You can see.
Yes.
GUEST: Yeah, long hair.
APPRAISER: Yes, yeah, long hair.
So the title is, it's embossed.
GUEST: Oh!
Yes, it is!
APPRAISER: Can you see?
GUEST: I see, I never saw that before.
APPRAISER: Says "Kamisuki," meaning, uh, "Combing Hair."
GUEST: Huh?
Never saw that.
APPRAISER: Wonderful, yes.
Yes.
GUEST: And I called it "The Girl With a Comb."
APPRAISER: When they do a block, it's not one.
You have to make several.
GUEST: Oh.
APPRAISER: You have to do the key block, which is just black outline, and then you have to do red, the lips, and yellow for the comb.
GUEST: Jeez.
APPRAISER: You see?
So you probably have to do four, five different blocks.
GUEST: Oh, wow.
APPRAISER: Japanese prints are not numbered, yeah.
GUEST: Oh, okay.
APPRAISER: But they probably made about 200.
So, yeah, I have seen this, it's one of my favorite.
GUEST: Oh, you're kidding.
APPRAISER: So I was surprised to see it in, uh...
GUEST: I have looked, I have gone on the computer.
I have never found it.
APPRAISER: Oh, you haven't?
Yeah, okay.
GUEST: No, never saw it before, again.
APPRAISER: Oh, I see.
Yes, and you probably wonder how much that would be, 'cause you didn't pay for it, right?
You picked.
(chuckles) What do you think?
GUEST: $500?
APPRAISER (laughs): No, much more.
GUEST: Ooh.
APPRAISER (laughing): Yeah.
GUEST: No, no... APPRAISER: Um, I think in a shop, they could go for...
It's a good condition, so it could go for maybe $4,000?
GUEST(gasps): Oh, my gosh!
(laughs) No!
APPRAISER: On a good day, $5,000 or more.
GUEST: No idea-- none.
APPRAISER: Yeah, yes, yeah, yeah.
GUEST: Wow.
APPRAISER: But anyway, if you wait, the, the market is very good for these Japanese prints, so it might go up in prices.
GUEST: Wow.
APPRAISER: So I'll see you in five years.
(both laugh) GUEST: Yeah, oh, that's exciting.
APPRAISER: Isn't that?
Appraisal: 1925 Michelin Man "Bibendum" Advertising Figure
Video has Closed Captions
Appraisal: Michelin Man "Bibendum" Advertising Figure, ca. 1925 (1m 29s)
Appraisal: 1939 Autographed Baseball Hall of Fame Program
Video has Closed Captions
Appraisal: 1939 Autographed Baseball Hall of Fame Program (3m 27s)
Appraisal: 1950 Hammered Aluminum Turtle-Form Towel Basin
Video has Closed Captions
Appraisal: Hammered Aluminum Turtle-Form Towel Basin, ca. 1950 (1m 3s)
Appraisal: 1972 Alexander Calder Lithograph
Video has Closed Captions
Appraisal: 1972 Alexander Calder 'McGovern for Government' Lithograph (3m 10s)
Appraisal: 1982 Vectrex Arcade System with 3D Imager & Games
Video has Closed Captions
Appraisal: 1982 Vectrex Arcade System with 3D Imager & Games (3m 16s)
Appraisal: 1994 Maya Angelou Spingarn Awards
Video has Closed Captions
Appraisal: 1994 Maya Angelou Spingarn Awards (3m 39s)
Appraisal: European Musical Watch Fobs, ca. 1820
Video has Closed Captions
Appraisal: European Musical Watch Fobs, ca. 1820 (3m 21s)
Appraisal: Fern Coppedge 'December Mist' Oil, ca. 1920
Video has Closed Captions
Appraisal: Fern Coppedge 'December Mist' Oil, ca. 1920 (3m 28s)
Appraisal: Iroquois Beaded Tea Cozy, ca. 1850
Video has Closed Captions
Appraisal: Iroquois Beaded Tea Cozy, ca. 1850 (2m 53s)
Appraisal: Le Pho Oil, ca. 1950
Video has Closed Captions
Appraisal: Le Pho 'La Cueillette des Pommes Cannelle' Oil, ca. 1950 (4m 4s)
Appraisal: Lt. Samuel Gerock Revolutionary War Archive
Video has Closed Captions
Appraisal: Lt. Samuel Gerock Revolutionary War Archive (5m)
Appraisal: Rozenburg Eggshell Porcelain Vase, ca. 1900
Video has Closed Captions
Appraisal: Rozenburg Eggshell Porcelain Vase, ca. 1900 (3m 31s)
Appraisal: Tiffany & Co. Diamond & Platinum Brooch, ca. 1920
Video has Closed Captions
Appraisal: Tiffany & Co. Diamond & Platinum Brooch, ca. 1920 (2m 8s)
Appraisal: Walnut Eagle Head Cane, ca. 1800
Video has Closed Captions
Appraisal: Walnut Eagle Head Cane, ca. 1800 (2m 42s)
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipFunding for ANTIQUES ROADSHOW is provided by Ancestry and American Cruise Lines. Additional funding is provided by public television viewers.