Hasui 巴水: Bell Tower, Mount Koya 高野山鐘楼 (SOLD)

Artist: Kawase Hasui 巴水 (1883-1957)

Title: Bell Tower, Mount Koya 高野山鐘楼

Series: Collection of Scenic Views of Japan II, Kansai Edition 日本風景集関西篇

Date: February, 1935 昭和十年二月

Spellbinding view of a monk walking calmly along a path through a snowstorm on Mount Koya. He walks away from the viewer, towards two small yellow lights that beckon in the distance, his robes swaying gently with his movements. Hasui’s carvers have managed to make each snowflake unique; all are round-ish, but of varying sizes and fall in irregular patterns. The way that the white flakes fall atop every part of the scenery, be it areas of soft blue or deep blue-grey, is astonishing. The palette is muted, as would be seen by our eyes in person during a twilight  snowstorm.  Mount Koya is the location of a famous monastic complex belonging to the Shingon sect of esoteric Buddhism, and for centuries has been a popular pilgrimage site. Technically quite astonishing, as well as peacefully atmospheric. This be considered a first edition, with the seal that was in use between 1932-1941. With the “Made in Japan” seal, verso, indicating that the work was intended for export in the 1930s. 

Condition: Excellent impression, color and condition.
Dimensions: ôban (38.5 x 26 cm)
Publisher: Watanabe Shôzaburô
Literature: 

See Smithsonian Museum, Art Institute of Chicago, MFA Boston. Narazaki Muneshige, Kawase Hasui mokuhanga shu, 1979, p. 85, no. 233; Kendall H. Brown, Kawase Hasui: The Complete Woodblock Prints, 2003, cat. no. 330; Kendall H. Brown, Visions of Japan: Kawase Hasui's Masterpieces, 2004, p. 94, no. 58; Shimada City Museum, Kawase Hasui, The Landscape Woodblock Prints of the Taisho and Showa Periods, 2005, p. 87, no. 156. Seal: Kawase Signature: Hasui

SKU: HAC330S