Hasui 巴水: Rain At Shuzenji Hotsprings 修禅寺の雨 (SOLD)

Artist: Kawase Hasui (1883-1957)
Title: Rain At Shuzenji  Hotsprings 修禅寺の雨
Date: 1933

We glimpse two women about to enjoy a soak in the natural hot springs at a rustic bathhouse situated directly above the spring on what must be the Katsuragawa River. We glimpse just a hint of their naked forms and notice that their robes have been slung over the wooden walls at right. Rain falls in straight lines down and mist rises up to meet it from the heated water as a soft glow suffuses the intimate moment. Narazaki commented that this work effectively conveys the atmosphere in the spa town of Shuzenji. Images of hot springs are understandably very sought-after in Japan, and Shuzenji is one of the Izu Peninsula’s oldest hot springs and is renowned all over Japan. We see a number of ryokan in the distance, their discreetly glowing windows beckoning welcome. A gorgeous first edition of this scarce design with the Watanabe seal that was used between 1930 and 1942. Provenance: From the personal collection of the late Hasui scholar Hisao Shimizu.

Condition: Excellent impression, color and condition.
Dimensions: ôban (38.7 x 25.8 cm)
Publisher: Watanabe Shôzaburô
Literature: Amy Reigle Stephens, The new wave: Twentieth-century Japanese prints from the Robert O. Muller Collection, 1993, p. 149, no. 167. Kendall Brown, Kawase Hasui: The complete woodblock prints, 2003, p. 463, no. 341.  Kendall Brown, Visions of Japan: Kawase Hasui’s Masterpieces, 2004, p. 92, no. 56.  Narazaki Muneshige, Kawase Hasui mokuhanga shû, 1979, p. 114, no. 341.  Shimada City Museum, Kawase Hasui, The landscape woodblock prints of the Taisho and Showa periods, 2005, p. 89, no. 159. Zehnder, Amanda T., Modern Japanese Prints: The Twentieth Century, Carnegie Museum of Art, 2009, p. 77
Seal: Kawase
Signature: Hasui

SKU: HAC341H