Nishijin Roofs
- Date:
- 1983
- Medium:
- Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
- Format:
- Oban
- Dimensions:
- 57 × 30.3 cm
- Source:
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
Description
The Nishijin district — Kyoto's traditional weaving quarter, where the elaborate silk fabrics for kimono and Noh theater costumes have been produced for centuries — presents its rooftops to Karhu's aerial view in this 1983 print. Nishijin rooftops are distinctive for the density of the weaving workshops that occupy the neighborhood, their low-profile machiya townhouses packed tightly together and topped with the characteristic pan-tile roofing that Karhu organized into compositions of complex, interlocking geometry. The print honors both the place and the craft tradition it houses.
More Prints by Clifton Karhu
More Urban Scenes Prints
A Hundred Shades of Ink of Edo: Kiyonaga's Pipe (Edo zumi hyaku shoku: Kiyonaga no kiseru)
Woodblock print
View of Kabuki Theater from Matsuya (Ginza Matsuya yori Kabukiza), no. 3 from the series "Pictures of Ginza, First Series (Gashu Ginza dai isshu)"
1928
Color lithograph
Distant View of Mitsukoshi Movie Theater in Shinjuku from the Sixth Floor of Hoteiya (Hoteiya rokkai kara Shinjuku Mitsukoshi Musashi no kan enbo zu), no. 1 from the series "Scenery of Shinjuku (Gashu Shinjuku fukei)"
1930
Color lithograph
Spring Dusk at the Tōshō Shrine in Ueno
1948
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nishijin Roofs was created by Clifton Karhu in 1983.
Nishijin Roofs depicts urban scenes and architecture.
Nishijin Roofs measures 57 × 30.3 cm (Oban format).