Wada Sanzō (1883–1967) — Blacksmith (鍛冶, Kaji), No. 13 from Shōwa Shokugyō E-zukushi (Japanese Vocations in Pictures)
Vintage Japanese Shōwa Era, c. 1939
The Shōwa Shokugyō E-zukushi series began in 1938 and was published by Nishinomiya Shoin; the prewar sequence contains 48 prints, limited to 300 impressions each.
The composition draws the viewer into the dim interior of an open-front smithy: a bald master smith crouches at the forge, working a length of glowing metal with tongs, while his assistant stands opposite with a long-handled hammer poised above the anvil. The brick forge mouth glows red at center; tools, bellows, and stock material fill the background shelves. A small potted plant at lower left is the only quiet note in an otherwise industrious scene. Wada's fluid, watercolor-like rendering captures both the heat and the focused physicality of the craft — a tradition already beginning to recede before the war's disruptions. Title cartouche upper right: 鍛冶 (Kaji); signature 三造 with two red artist's seals.
Condition: Very good, some foxing. See photos for condition details.