Hasui 巴水: Taisho Pond Kamikochi 土高橋大正池 (Sold)

Artist: Kawase Hasui 川瀬 巴水 (1883-1957)
Title: Taisho Pond Kamikochi  土高橋大正池
Date: Ca. 1927 (undated)

Gusts of blowing snow contrast with the stock-still trunks of trees and the rippling blue water of this pristine winter view. There are rather few Hasui designs that are completely devoid of any signs of human activity, but this is one of them. The Taisho pond was formed in 1915 when lava flows from Mount Yake dammed the Azusa River. Now it is part of a National Park. This is a rather scarce design by the publisher Bijutsusha, who published only eight designs during the period when Hasui was taking a break from his lifelong publisher Watanabe Shozaburo.  Although it is an early edition (ca. late 1920s), it does not bear the red “Rumi” seal of the publisher in the lower right corner, same as with the Statler example at the Art Institute of Chicago. This seems to be a color variant, as the background mountains are done in a grey-green instead of the blue seen in the MFA Boston example (as well as in the two sealed works that have been sold by this gallery and may be found on our website.)

Condition: Very good impression, color and condition.
Dimensions: ôban (37.5 x 26 cm)
Publisher: Bijutsusha
Literature: Narazaki # B-4; Hotei #173. See the Art Institute of Chicago and the MFA Boston Museums online.
Seal: Kawase

SKU: HAC141S