Fujikawa — 富士川
by Kawase Hasui
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- Japanese Art Open Database
- Image courtesy of
- Japanese Art Open Database
Description
The Fuji River (富士川) descends from the Southern Alps through Shizuoka Prefecture before emptying into Suruga Bay, and for centuries offered travellers on the Tokaido road a celebrated view of Mount Fuji rising beyond its banks. Hasui's treatment likely situates the viewer at river level, with the rushing or placid water occupying the foreground and Fuji's snow-capped cone emerging behind forested hills in the distance. The river's diagonal movement through the composition provides dynamic tension against the static geometry of the mountain. Graded blue and grey tones rendered through multiple bokashi passes convey the luminosity of the water surface, a hallmark of the Watanabe Shozaburo workshop's technical output during the Taisho and early Showa eras.
More Prints by Kawase Hasui
More Landscapes Prints
Lake Kugushi in Wakasa Province (Wakasa Kugushiko), from the series Souvenirs of Travel I (Tabi miyage dai isshu)"
Wakasa Kugushiko
1920
Color woodblock print; oban
Autumn Maple Leaves at Takao, from the album Eight Views of Kyoto (Kyôto hakkei)
Woodblock print
The Beach at Kaiganji in Sanuki Province (Sanuki Kaiganji no hama), from the series "Collection of Views of Japan II, Kansai Edition (Nihon fukei shu II Kansai hen)"
1934
Color woodblock print; oban
Tea Kettle, section of a sheet from the series "Mirror of Stone Rubbings of Views of the Provinces" (Kohon meihitsu ishizuri kagami)
n.d.
Woodblock print; ishizuri-e, section of harimaze sheet
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Fujikawa — 富士川 was created by Kawase Hasui (川瀬巴水).
Fujikawa — 富士川 depicts landscapes.