Deer Strolling along Kasuga Shrine, Nara
by Kawase Hasui
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- Japanese Art Open Database
- Image courtesy of
- Japanese Art Open Database
by Kawase Hasui
Among the multiple versions Hasui produced of Kasuga Shrine's lantern paths and sacred deer, this print may represent a later edition distinguished by revised pigment mixing or a different seasonal setting — perhaps autumn foliage visible between the cedar trunks, or winter-bare branches altering the canopy's texture. The stone lanterns function as a compositional spine, their repeating forms pulling the eye toward a vanishing point while the deer introduce irregularity and life. Published in the [shin-hanga](/glossary/shin-hanga) tradition, these prints were printed by skilled craftsmen using multiple woodblocks — key block for line, and successive color blocks for gradated skies and forest shadows — producing the luminous depth for which Hasui's landscapes are known.
Hebizukai
1932
Color woodblock print; oban
1935
Color woodblock print; oban
1964
Acrylic paint and oil pastel with oiled charcoal and ink over an ink and graphite underdrawing on paper
1964
Color lithograph with relief block and hand coloring; edition 35/36
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Deer Strolling along Kasuga Shrine, Nara was created by Kawase Hasui (川瀬巴水).
Deer Strolling along Kasuga Shrine, Nara depicts animals.
