Benten Pond at Shiba

Date:: 1930s
Medium:: Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Format:: Oban
Dimensions:: 23.9 × 36.3 cm
Publisher:: Watanabe Shozaburo
Edition:: Published by Watanabe Shozaburo
Source:: Minneapolis Institute of Art

Typical Price

Zojoji Temple in Shiba is Hasui's single most recognized subject. Non-snow versions of this temple (Great Gate at Shiba, pond views) remain highly collectible and trade at lower premiums than the iconic snow scene but still outperform most comparable Hasui subjects. Pre-war lifetime editions with the Watanabe seal attract the strongest bidding. Pre-war lifetime editions bearing the Watanabe copyright seal (A through G types, 1926–1944) are the most desirable.

Pre-war lifetime edition (Watanabe seal): $1,500–$5,000
Postwar lifetime edition (J-seal): $800–$2,500
Posthumous/Heisei edition: $300–$900

Description

Benten Pond at Shiba in Tokyo is a small ornamental pond within the Shiba Park complex, its island shrine and curved bridge a modest version of the famous Benten island arrangement at Inokashira and other Tokyo parks. This 1930s print likely shows the pond in an autumn or winter condition, the shrine building visible through bare branches over dark water. The small urban sacred pond was a recurring subject in Hasui's Tokyo work, finding meditation in the city's enclosed water spaces.