Hira
by Ito Takashi
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Source:
- Japanese Art Open Database
Description
This oban woodblock print depicts a view of the Hira mountain range, which rises along the western shore of Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture. Ito Takashi captures the mountains' profile as seen across water or from a nearby vantage, using the woodblock medium's layered printing technique to build atmospheric depth between foreground and the distant ridgeline. The Hira range, snow-capped for much of the year, has been celebrated in Japanese poetry and painting for centuries as one of the Eight Views of Omi. Ito's treatment strips away literary association in favor of direct visual observation, rendering the specific quality of light and distance that defines this particular view. The restrained palette and horizontal emphasis give the print a meditative breadth suited to its lakeside subject.
More Prints by Ito Takashi
More Landscapes Prints
Lake Kugushi in Wakasa Province (Wakasa Kugushiko), from the series Souvenirs of Travel I (Tabi miyage dai isshu)"
Wakasa Kugushiko
1920
Color woodblock print; oban
Autumn Maple Leaves at Takao, from the album Eight Views of Kyoto (Kyôto hakkei)
Woodblock print
The Beach at Kaiganji in Sanuki Province (Sanuki Kaiganji no hama), from the series "Collection of Views of Japan II, Kansai Edition (Nihon fukei shu II Kansai hen)"
1934
Color woodblock print; oban
Tea Kettle, section of a sheet from the series "Mirror of Stone Rubbings of Views of the Provinces" (Kohon meihitsu ishizuri kagami)
n.d.
Woodblock print; ishizuri-e, section of harimaze sheet
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Hira was created by Ito Takashi (伊東孝).
Hira depicts landscapes, rivers & lakes, and mountains.