Chikanobu Yoshu Auction Prices and Value Guide
Chikanobu Yoshu auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 702 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.
Chikanobu Yoshu auction prices: quick answer
Chikanobu Yoshu auction prices depend on medium, size, date, condition, provenance, edition details, attribution confidence, and recent comparable auction sales.
- Artist
- Chikanobu Yoshu
- Source records
- 702
- Market update
- 2026-02-16
Chikanobu Yoshu market snapshot
Chikanobu Yoshu shows deep auction liquidity with 192 tracked lots. Median realized sale is around $80. Category concentration is still broad or sparse. Last 12 months recorded 9 sales. Latest recorded sale: 2025-05-31.
Realized price distribution
- Under $1,000 (100.0% · 101 sales)
- $1,000 to $10,000 (0.0% · 0 sales)
- $10,000+ (0.0% · 0 sales)
- Median sale (last 12 months)
- $180
- Sales recorded (last 12 months)
- 9
- Median shift vs prior year
- +80.0%
- Latest recorded sale
- 2025-05-31
Artist context
About Chikanobu Yoshu
Yōshū Chikanobu (1838–1912), born Hashimoto Naoyoshi, was a Japanese painter and woodblock printmaker regarded as one of the most prolific ukiyo-e artists of the Meiji era. Working under the art names Yōshū and Yōshūsai, and often catalogued as Toyohara Chikanobu, he produced a large body of prints spanning beautiful-women subjects (bijin-ga), imperial court ceremonies, historical legends, and scenes documenting Japan's rapid modernization. His triptych-format compositions are especially well represented in museum and auction collections. Chikanobu's career bridged the late Edo and Meiji periods, making his work a visual record of a transforming Japan. Collectors encounter his prints frequently at auction and in institutional holdings worldwide.
Ukiyo-e (Meiji-period continuation)woodblock printspaintingbijin-ga (beautiful women)Meiji imperial court scenes and ceremonieshistorical and legendary subjects
Common works and media
Chikanobu is best known for polychrome woodblock prints (nishiki-e), frequently issued as triptychs. Common subjects include bijin-ga (portraits of beautiful women in both traditional and Western-influenced dress), court and imperial ceremony scenes, historical and legendary narratives, and depictions of the Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese wars. Single-sheet prints, diptychs, and illustrated book contributions also appear. Most works are on paper, using traditional ink and color woodblock techniques adapted for Meiji-period tastes.
Market and appraisal context
Chikanobu Yoshu maintains an active and liquid market for Meiji-era Japanese woodblock prints. Appraisily's auction-record index tracks 220 lots, of which 114 carry a realised price, spanning March 2011 through May 2026. The price distribution is modest and concentrated: the interquartile range runs from £50 to £140 (median £100), with a ceiling near £550, indicating that while premium impressions occasionally achieve stronger results, the bulk of the market sits in a low-three-figure band. Liquidity is rising — 33 lots appeared in the most recent 12-month window versus 28 in the prior period — suggesting steady collector interest. JG Auction dominates recent offerings, with additional supply from John Nicholson's Fine Art Auctioneers & Valuers, Hessink's, Rachel Davis Fine Arts, Andrew Smith & Son, Asium, Cheffins, Duveen Auctions B.V., Antique Arena Inc, and Cordier Auctions & Appraisals. Common subjects include the Chiyoda Palace inner-court series (bijin-ga in domestic settings), kabuki scenes, war and historical triptychs, and landscape or seasonal prints. The majority of transactions are denominated in GBP, with occasional EUR results from continental houses such as Nagel Auction.
Auction categories and appraisal factors
Common auction categories
- woodblock prints
- painting
- Japanese prints
- bijin-ga
- Meiji-era prints
Value drivers
- Condition and impression quality significantly affect value
- Triptych format works are common and collected
- Provenance from established collections or dealers can affect price
- Subject matter (bijin-ga, court scenes, war prints) influences collector demand
- Impression quality and early-state versus later-state pulls significantly affect value
- Complete triptych sets command a premium over single panels
Appraisal caveats
- No major-auction-house or market-specific source was available in the source pack; market context is drawn from general biographical and authority sources.
- Meiji-era prints exist in varying states of preservation; condition assessment by a specialist is recommended before appraisal.
- Attribution should be confirmed against the artist's known signatures and seal forms, as Meiji print studios sometimes produced works in similar styles.
- All price data is drawn from Appraisily's auction-record index (sourced from public auction feeds) and Invaluable lot listings; no Tier-1 auction-house catalogue notes (Christie's, Sotheby's, Bonhams) were available in this source pack.
Evidence
Sources for artist context
This source-grounded artist context passed Appraisily's promotion threshold: high confidence, strong sources.
- Library of Congress library authority
- Getty Vocabulary Program library authority
- VIAF library authority
- Wikidata library authority
- Wikipedia wikipedia
Data basis
This page is built from Appraisily's public auction market index. Private transactions, incomplete sale feeds, and attribution changes may not be fully represented.
Artist value FAQ
How much is Chikanobu Yoshu worth?
Comparable public auction sales are the best starting point, but final value depends on the specific artwork, condition, size, medium, provenance, and attribution confidence.
Can Appraisily value my Chikanobu Yoshu artwork?
Yes. Appraisily can review photos, dimensions, signatures, condition, provenance, and comparable market data to prepare a current valuation.