Hasui 巴水: Yakushiji Temple, Nara 奈良薬師寺

Artist: Kawase Hasui 巴水 (1883-1957)
Title:  Yakushiji Temple, Nara 奈良薬師寺   Date: 1951

Yakushiji Temple was established in 680 by Emperor Tenmu and is one of the seven great temples of Nara, and head temple of Japan’s oldest Buddhist order, the Hosso school. Inside the main hall is a triad of statues featuring the Medicine Buddha; these are made from 20 tons of bronze and are also designated National Treasures. The pagoda we see in the background must be the East Pagoda, and is the only wooden structure to have survived fires for more than 1300 years; it is one of several National Treasures at the temple complex. Apparently Ernest Fenellosa described the perfection of this pagoda as “frozen music”. 

With the round postwar Watanabe seal lower left, indicating that this is a first edition. 

Condition: Very good impression, color and condition. The coloration in the sky is uneven.  Dimensions: ôban (38.8 x 26.5 cm)
Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo
Literature: Narazaki Muneshige, Kawase Hasui mokuhanga shu, 1979, p. 158, no. 531; Kendall Brown, Kawase Hasui: The Complete Woodblock Prints, 2003, p. 576, no. 559. Andreas Marks, Japan Journeys: Famous Woodblock Prints of Cultural Sights in Japan, 2015, p. 147.  Signature: Hasui

SKU: HAC559H