Sannenzaka
- Date:
- 1976
- Medium:
- Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
- Format:
- Oban
- Dimensions:
- 40.5 × 40.8 cm
- Source:
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
Typical Price
- Iconic Kyoto rooftop scene in excellent condition: $1,500–$3,500
- Good condition rooftop composition: $600–$1,800
- Standard edition impression (~100): $300–$800
Description
Sannenzaka — the steep stone-paved lane connecting Kiyomizudera temple to the Gion district, one of Kyoto's most-photographed traditional streetscapes — is Karhu's subject in this 1976 print. Karhu returned to Sannenzaka repeatedly across his career, drawn to its concentration of traditional machiya townhouses, souvenir shops, and the steady flow of visitors moving between the sacred and the commercial. His version of the famous lane is direct and specific, avoiding the picturesque prettiness that the subject courts and finding in it instead the structural interest of its stone-paved ascent.
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
Sannenzaka was created by Clifton Karhu in 1976.
Sannenzaka depicts urban scenes, architecture, and travel scenes.
Sannenzaka measures 40.5 × 40.8 cm (Oban format).