Hanga
Boat in Sunset by Kawase Hasui — Japanese Woodblock print

Boat in Sunset

by Kawase Hasui

Medium:
Woodblock print
Image courtesy of
Japanese Art Open Database

Description

This print depicts a traditional Japanese watercraft set against the luminous gradations of a sunset sky, a subject Hasui returned to across multiple compositions throughout his career. The warm amber and rose tones of the horizon would have been achieved through careful bokashi gradation printing, with multiple impressions of diluted pigment building the atmospheric glow. Hasui's handling of reflected light on still water — a hallmark of his mature style — likely anchors the composition, with the silhouetted vessel providing a strong graphic focal point. As a meisho-e subject rooted in coastal or riverine Japan, the print belongs to the shin-hanga tradition of documenting everyday scenery with technical refinement. The interplay of warm sky against cooler water tones demonstrates the close collaboration between Hasui's design and the Watanabe Shōzaburō workshop's skilled printmaking.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Boat in Sunset was created by Kawase Hasui (川瀬巴水).

Boat in Sunset depicts night scenes.