Hasui 巴水: Nishikiura Beach in Atami (First Edition)

Artist: Kawase Hasui 巴水 (1883-1957)
Title: Nishiki-Ura Seacoast in Atami 熱海錦浦
Date: 1940

A lone fisherman extends his pole over the crashing surf as he stands on a large rock at the edge of the sea in Atami. He wears a western-style overcoat and cap, and seems quite undeterred by the spray that must be cascading over him. Today there would probably a breakwater along the coast to prevent tsunami damage, so the view would not be this pristine. With the unfaded soft pink and purple colors that make this work so effective. The Watanabe seal used at right indicates that this is a first edition, as the oblong “sausage” seal was used between 1930 and 1942. Watanabe chose to print the seal in pink for this print, which was a color that he very rarely used for his seals. Perhaps he did not want to overwhelm the delicate, pink-hued seafoam at lower right.

Condition: Excellent impression, color and condiition.
Dimensions: ôban (39 x 25.8 cm)
Publisher: Watanabe
Literature: Narazaki Muneshige, Kawase Hasui mokuhanga shu (Kawase Hasui, Collection of Woodblock Prints), 1979, no. 362b. Kendall Brown, Kawase Hasui: The complete woodblock prints, Hotei Publishing, 2003, no. 439. See Art Institute of Chicago.
Seal: Kawase
Signature: Hasui

SKU: HAC439H