Lot 244 Kawase Hasui (1883-1957) | Kinosaki, Tajima | Taisho period, early 20th century

Kawase Hasui (1883-1957) | Kinosaki, Tajima | Taisho period, early 20th century

EUR 8,000

8,000 - 10,000 EUR

未知

Very good impression, good colour, some toning (particularly along the top margin), minor creasing, slight buckling to paper, small patch repair within the upper left margin, the top left corner with slight wear, the reverse with slight tape residue to the top left and right corners, small pencil inscription to the bottom right corner of verso.

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woodblock print, from the series Souvenirs of Travel III (Tabi miyage dai sanshu), signed in blue ink Hasui, sealed Kawase, titled in the lower left margin as above, publisher's mark (Hotei 'B', circa 1924-30) to lower right margin Hanken shoyu Watanabe Shozaburo [copyright reserved, Watanabe Shozaburo), dated Taisho jusannen saku (made in 1924), 1st state
Horizontal oban: 26.5 x 38.8 cm., 8¾ by 12¾ in.
图录
说明：An onslaught of rain obscures the view of the canal at Kinosaki, a celebrated onsen resort in the former province of Tajima, present-day northern Hyogo Prefecture. A solitary figure with a parasol meanders through the quiet street – perhaps languid from a long sojourn in the hot springs – illuminated only by the light emanating from the ryokan flanking the canal. Towering mountains dissolve into the heavy, rain-laden sky, while the silhouettes of seven telegraph poles vertically punctuate the design.
Earlier ukiyo-e artists, notably Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858), excelled at depicting rain scenes – often in a more stylised manner at the moment of a sudden downpour. Here, Hasui grounds his composition with a heightened sense of realism: the rain's effect on light, and its softening and blurring of reflections in the canal waters, are rendered with particular sensitivity.
This is the earliest state, with the publisher's seal (Hotei 'B') corresponding to the date of publication. A similar impression (with Hotei ‘B’ mark but without the series title) is in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, accession number 49.689, go to:
https://collections.mfa.org/objects/253652/kinosaki-tajima-from-the-series-souvenirs-of-travel-iii-t?ctx=ad696d35-3cf7-466a-91fa-973a3abc7006&idx=0