Nunobiki waterfall

The Nunobiki Falls, a series of cascades in the hills behind Kobe, have been celebrated as a meisho since the Heian period and are mentioned in the Ise Monogatari. Kawanishi transposes this long-venerated subject into the sosaku-hanga idiom, in which the artist designs, carves, and prints the block himself rather than dividing labor in the traditional shin-hanga manner. Expect flat, simplified color planes for the rock face and surrounding foliage, with the falling water rendered as vertical white reserves cut directly into the block rather than achieved through bokashi gradation. The composition is likely organized around the vertical descent of the water against horizontal rock striations and framing greenery. The print belongs to Kawanishi's broader project of reframing Kobe's landmarks — harbor, hillsides, festivals, suburban falls — through a regional sosaku-hanga vocabulary informed by Fauvist color and the movement's commitment to direct authorship.