Mishima River, Mutsu (Mutsu Mishimagawa), from the series Souvenirs of Travel, First Series (Tabi miyage dai isshū)

Kawase HasuiWW-1919-101804

1919·Color woodblock print·38.5 × 26.2 cm (15 1/8 × 10 5/16 in.)

<p>In this print, the rising moon illuminates the Mishima River and the distant sea. The site depicted here was a popular place for women to draw water and wash clothes. The glow of the moonlight on the river and the sea contrasts sharply with the dark shadows that fall on the surrounding buildings, which display the distinctive architecture of the area, and on the women in the foreground.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1919
Medium: Color woodblock print
Dimensions: 38.5 × 26.2 cm (15 1/8 × 10 5/16 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Kawase Hasui

Artist

Kawase Hasui

Printmaking

Kawase Hasui was a Japanese woodblock printmaker specializing in landscape and travel scenes during the early twentieth century. Working in the shin-hanga tradition, he created atmospheric compositions of rural Japan, coastal views, and seasonal phenomena using bold compositional framing and a restrained palette of blues, greens, and earth tones. His prints capture nocturnal and weather-dependent moments, emphasizing mood over topographical detail. Hasui's approach bridged Edo-period ukiyo-e conventions with modernist sensibilities of line and negative space.

Japan

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