Hasui 川瀬 巴水: Starlit Night, Miyajima 星月夜（宮島 ) (Sold)

Artist: Kawase Hasui 川瀬 巴水 (1883-1957)
Title: Starlit Night, Miyajima 星月夜（宮島)
Date: 1928 (Showa 3)
Size: ôban (38 x 25.7 cm)

The famous floating shrine at Miyajima, whose red pillars reflect as a soft purple in the evening blue. The reflections shimmers on the placid surface, and in the foreground is a lit stone lantern, with dappled shading showing an unseen moon that is casting moonlight. A few stars twinkle in the sky above.  Hasui has effectively captured the colors and feeling of early evening, with very subtle tonalities and shading. As Narazaki says so well, “The mood of the dark, serene and starlit night is certainly expressed very effectively... The colour tones produce a lucid feel, evoking a sense of total silence, and this creates a pleasing impression.” With the earliest Watanabe seal used during this period; first edition. It is important to look for a rich, deep purple color in the torii, as here, when assessing any possible fading on this design.

Publisher: Watanabe Shôzaburô (with the earliest seal for this print.)
Literature: Narazaki #143; Hotei #140. See MFA, FAMSF, Honolulu museums, Yale, AIC.
Signature: Hasui with Kawase seal
Condition: Excellent impression, color and condition. Two hinging remnants, upper verso.

SKU: HAC140S