Song of the Seashore (Hamabe no uta)
by Ansei Uchima
- Date:
- 1957
- Medium:
- Color woodblock print
- Edition:
- Self-printed
- Source:
- Art Institute of Chicago
by Ansei Uchima
$500–$4,000. Common prints: $500–$1,500. Key value factors: Uchima's luminous landscape prints appeal to collectors of both Japanese prints and modern American art.
Song of the Seashore (Hamabe no uta) is a 1957 color woodblock print whose Japanese title references one of Japan's most beloved popular songs, composed in 1916 by Tamezo Narita with lyrics by Hayama Torako. The song describes a walk along the shore at sunset, waves washing over feet, the sea wind carrying memories of childhood — it is an unofficial anthem of Japanese coastal nostalgia, taught in elementary schools and known to virtually every Japanese person. Uchima's abstract interpretation transforms this sentimental subject into something more austere, using the rhythms of wave and shore as compositional structure while the emotional content of the song infuses the color and mood.
Wakasa Kugushiko
1920
Color woodblock print; oban
Woodblock print
1934
Color woodblock print; oban
n.d.
Woodblock print; ishizuri-e, section of harimaze sheet
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Song of the Seashore (Hamabe no uta) was created by Ansei Uchima (内間安瑆) in 1957.
Song of the Seashore (Hamabe no uta) depicts landscapes and seascapes.
