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
This print depicts the stone-lantern-lined paths of Kasuga Taisha in Nara, where sacred deer roam freely among the shrine's cedar groves. Kasuga's thousands of ishidoro — stone lanterns donated by worshippers over centuries — create a rhythmic vertical pattern through the composition, while one or more deer occupy the middle ground, lending a sense of unhurried calm. Hasui likely employed [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) gradations to render the filtered light through the towering cryptomeria trees. As one of several editions Hasui produced of this composition, this version may reflect a distinct printing state, seasonal condition, or publisher's run, with subtle shifts in pigment depth and atmospheric tone characteristic of [shin-hanga](/glossary/shin-hanga) reprints.
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.
