Bamboo Forest, Tama River

Among Hasui's multiple compositions depicting the bamboo-lined banks of the Tama River west of Tokyo, this version records the particular light and atmosphere of a specific season or time of day. Bamboo groves in woodblock prints require carving the key block to leave thin, parallel lines for the culms while cutting away the surrounding areas to create the sense of a dense interior. The Tama River subject was likely produced during the 1920s or 1930s, when Hasui was making regular sketching excursions to sites within a day's travel of Tokyo. The composition may position the viewer inside or at the edge of the grove, looking toward the river—a spatial arrangement that allowed Hasui to explore the filtered light entering through the canopy, a quality achievable in woodblock printing through layered, semi-transparent color applications.