Kawase Hasui (1883-1957)
Kozu, Osaka, from the series Souvenirs of Travel, Third Series (Tabi miyage dai sanshu), 1924
Woodblock print
Signed: 'Hasui'
Artist's seal: 'Kawase'
Dated: Taisho 13 (1924)
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo (Hotei seal 'C', consistent with printing 1927-32)
Signed: 'Hasui'
Artist's seal: 'Kawase'
Dated: Taisho 13 (1924)
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo (Hotei seal 'C', consistent with printing 1927-32)
Vertical oban:
38.4 x 25.4 cm. (15 ⅛ x 10 in.)
38.4 x 25.4 cm. (15 ⅛ x 10 in.)
Very good impression and colour. Slight toning (more visible on the reverse). Slight rubbing to margins. Small expert repairs to bottom right corner and top corners. Minute tear to left edge.
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From 1924 to 1929 Hasui worked on the series Souvenirs of Travel, Third Series, completing twenty-nine print designs of views from throughout Japan. Night has fallen at the Kozu Shrine...
From 1924 to 1929 Hasui worked on the series Souvenirs of Travel, Third Series, completing twenty-nine print designs of views from throughout Japan.
Night has fallen at the Kozu Shrine and shadows are cast by the moonlight. A single star pierces the night sky and the Osaka city lights twinkle in the distance below. Hasui realistically rendered the details of the shrine building including the roof and architectural supports, along with the stone balustrade and pathway. To this he adeptly imbued the scene with the mood and atmosphere of a moonlit night through his keen observation of light and shadow.
Another impression of the same print is in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, accession no. 50.2880, go to: https://collections.mfa.org/objects/254849