Aoba Castle, Sendai (Sendai Aobajō), from the series Collection of Scenic Views of Japan, Eastern Japan Edition (Nihon fūkei shu higashi Nihon hen)

Kawase HasuiWW-1933-101797

1933·Color woodblock print·39.1 × 26.3 cm (15 3/8 × 10 5/16 in.)

<p>Kawase Hasui has created a startling effect in this print by contrasting the blackness of the sky with the moonlight reflected on the castle wall. The lone star and the varying degrees of shadow on the building, grounds, and trees make this one of his most dramatic prints.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1933
Medium: Color woodblock print
Dimensions: 39.1 × 26.3 cm (15 3/8 × 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

Full artist profile →