Tombstone (Ishibumi)
by Kaoru Kawano
- Date:
- 20th century
- Medium:
- Color woodblock print
- Edition:
- Self-printed
- Source:
- Art Institute of Chicago
Description
A stone memorial marker — ishibumi — stands in a landscape, its weathered surface bearing inscribed characters that record a life or an event now half-forgotten. Kawano's Tombstone is a meditation on memory, impermanence, and the attempt of human beings to mark their passage through time in durable material. The carved stone and the carved woodblock find an unexpected kinship here — both are acts of inscription meant to outlast the hand that made them. The 20th-century dating places this work in the period of Japan's most intense engagement with questions of memory and loss.
More Prints by Kaoru Kawano
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
Tombstone (Ishibumi) was created by Kaoru Kawano (川野薫) in 20th century.
Tombstone (Ishibumi) depicts landscapes, religious, and calligraphy.