Drizzling Rain (Shigure)

Medium:: Woodblock print
Format:: Oban
Publisher:: Watanabe Shozaburo
Edition:

Published by Watanabe Shozaburo

Source:

Typical Price

Though best known for bijin-ga, Shinsui also produced landscape prints of great refinement. These typically trade at lower prices than his figure subjects but attract collectors seeking less competition.

Later printings: $500–$1,500
Good lifetime editions: $1,500–$5,000
Exceptional landscape impressions: $5,000–$15,000

Description

Shigure—the cold, intermittent drizzle characteristic of late autumn and early winter in Japan—falls over the subject of this undated print, its soft precipitation distinct from summer rain in both its physical character (light, fitful, cold) and its emotional register (melancholy, contemplative, evocative of the season's end). The word "shigure" carries enormous poetic weight in Japanese literature, appearing in haiku as a seasonal marker (kigo) for early winter. Shinsui's [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) printing renders the gray diffusion of this specific kind of rain with characteristic finesse.