$500–$5,000. Common landscapes: $500–$1,500. Key value factors: Ito Takashi's prints published by Doi Hangaten are the most sought after. Night scenes and snow views command premiums.
This [oban](/glossary/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.
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.
Hira was created by Ito Takashi (伊東孝).
Hira depicts landscapes, rivers & lakes, and mountains.
