Pagoda at Ikaruga K
by Fumio Fujita
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Image courtesy of
- Asian Collection Internet Auction
Description
Ikaruga, in Nara Prefecture, is home to Horyuji, one of Japan's oldest surviving wooden structures, and its distinctive five-story pagoda is among the most recognizable forms in Japanese architectural history. Fujita's treatment likely abstracts the pagoda's tiered rooflines into stacked horizontal registers, emphasizing the structure's geometric rhythm rather than its material or historical character. The alphanumeric suffix K indicates this is one state within a series. The relationship between the ancient monument and surrounding forest — Horyuji sits amid pine groves — gives Fujita the vertical/horizontal interplay that recurs throughout his landscape work. Ink gradations may suggest the silver-grey atmosphere of the Yamato basin.







