Oda Kazuma: Sumida Koen Summer Evening (Sold)

Artist: Oda Kazuma 1882-1956
Title: Sumida Koen
Date: 1930

Tokyo residents enjoy a warm summer evening along the Sumida River. Most everyone is wearing light summer yukata, and many stop to admire the sunset glow that is seen behind a low stone bridge, with rafts floating beneath. Large willow trees overhang the banks and streetlights are coming on against the backdrop of the setting sun on a warm evening. This work somehow captures the magic of a languid summer evening, and provides an intimate glimpse of the prewar Tokyo that has since been lost. The young trees at right are now mature cherry trees. Oda Kazuma worked both in the sosaku hanga and shin hanga worlds, meaning that he both printed and carved his own works and would also work with a publisher and professional artisans to create shin hanga. This work would have been self-carved and self-printed. From a very scarce group of woodblock prints showing parks in the Tokyo area.

SKU: ODC014S