Kiyokawa
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- Japanese Art Open Database
Key value factors: As self-carved and self-printed works, sosaku-hanga value is tied to the artist's reputation and edition size. Larger formats, earlier editions, and historically significant works command the highest prices.
A woodblock print titled Kiyokawa, a Japanese place name meaning "clear river" that appears in several locations across the country. Nakazawa likely depicts a riverside scene where transparent water flows over a visible streambed, a subject that allowed the woodblock carver and printer to demonstrate their skill in rendering moving water and its reflections. The clarity implied by the name suggests a mountain stream or rural waterway rather than the larger, muddier rivers of the lowlands. This type of intimate landscape subject, focused on a single natural feature rather than a panoramic vista, reflects the shin-hanga movement's interest in capturing specific qualities of place and atmosphere through refined printmaking technique.
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.
Kiyokawa was created by Hiromitsu Nakazawa (中沢弘光).
Kiyokawa depicts landscapes and rivers & lakes.
