The Moon from Lake
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- Watanabe Print
- Image courtesy of
- Watanabe Print
Description
This lakeside nocturne likely depicts moonlight reflected on still water, a subject with deep roots in both Japanese poetry and the woodblock print tradition. Night scenes demand the most controlled use of the baren and the most precise registration, as the dark key block must align precisely with graduated blue-black bokashi applied across damp washi to achieve the deep tonal range of a moonlit sky. A dark mass of shoreline vegetation or hills would anchor the composition, while the moon's reflection — elongated on gentle ripples — provides the print's luminous center. Nishijima's approach to such a subject would likely avoid sentimentality, favoring the quiet specificity of a particular lake at a particular hour over generalized romantic effect.
More Prints by Katsuyuki Nishijima
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
The Moon from Lake was created by Katsuyuki Nishijima (西島勝之).
The Moon from Lake depicts landscapes.