Hasui 巴水: Sanzen’in Temple, Ohara, Kyoto 京都大原三千院 (First Edition)

Artist: Kawase Hasui 川瀬巴水 (1883-1957)
Title: Sanzen’in Temple, Ohara, Kyoto 京都大原三千院   Date: 1949

Enchanting evening view of a historic temple building at Sanzen’in Temple in Ohara, which is about one hour north of Kyoto. It was established as a hermitage by Saicho (Dengyo Daishi), who introduced Tendai Buddhism to Japan, in the ninth century. This must be Ojo Gokuraku-in Hall, which dates from 1143 and holds the temple’s statue of Amida Buddha, a National Treasure.

Hasui has chosen to depict this famous building from an unusual angle, and at an unusual time and season. This temple is famous for its moss garden and for its autumn foliage; Hasui has eschewed a direct view and a popular time of year, as it appears to be summer or spring, and the temple grounds seem to be closed for the evening. In a Hiroshige-like touch, the work is strongly based on diagonals, and in a very Hasui-like touch, there is a single yellow-orange light that beckons to the visitor in the darkness, leavening the feeling of solitude. When a work is completely unfaded, as here, we feel the subtleties that were intended by the artist through his use of color. An unseen moon casts shadows on the vibrant green grounds, and the color of the building itself also contains a hint of green, as if reflecting the moss and trees of its surroundings.

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

Condition: Excellent impression, color and condition. Mint.
Dimensions: ôban (38.4 x 26 cm)
Publisher: Watanabe Shôzaburô
Literature: Narazaki Muneshige, Kawase Hasui mokuhanga shu, 1979, no. 502. Kendall Brown, Kawase Hasui: The Complete Woodblock Prints, 2003, no. 526. See VMFA, AIC. Seal: Kawase   Signature: Hasui

SKU: HAC526H