Hagoromo (B) - 飛天 (B)

This [sosaku-hanga](/glossary/sosaku-hanga) woodblock print represents the B composition in Kawano's Hagoromo series, depicting a hiten or flying celestial figure (飛天) whose iconographic roots lie in the apsara imagery of Buddhist cave painting and sculpture. Kawano's carving style brings a distinctly mid-twentieth-century expressiveness to this classical subject, with the gouge marks left visible as a formal choice in keeping with sosaku-hanga principles of direct, handmade quality. The hagoromo — the celestial feather robe — likely frames the figure's body in sweeping curves, offering visual contrast between the angular carved lines of the form and the softer implied movement of the garment. As with other prints in this series, the work was produced entirely by Kawano's own hand and was marketed primarily through galleries serving Western collectors in the 1950s and early 1960s.