Futatsudō Hall at Nikkō (Nikkō, Futatsudō)

Date:: 1929, November
Medium:: Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Format:: Oban
Dimensions:: 40.6 × 26.8 cm
Publisher:: Watanabe Shozaburo
Edition:: Published by Watanabe Shozaburo
Source:: Harvard Art Museums

Typical Price

Edition period is the primary value driver for Hasui prints. Pre-war lifetime editions with the Watanabe copyright seal (A through D types) consistently achieve 3–5× the price of posthumous reprints of the same design. Condition is the second key factor — unfaded colors, full margins, and absence of foxing or staining are essential. Subject matter (snow > rain > night > other) provides a further modifier within each edition tier.

Pre-war lifetime edition (Watanabe seal, 1926–1944): $1,000–$4,000
Postwar lifetime edition (J-seal, 1946–1957): $400–$1,500
Posthumous/Heisei edition (seal K/I, 1957–present): $150–$600

Description

Futatsudo Hall at Nikko (alternative oban version), dated November 1929, depicts the twin Buddhist halls within the Nikko shrine complex — structures dedicated to the Tokugawa shoguns Ieyasu and Iemitsu — in the atmospheric autumn forest setting. This closely related version of the Futatsu Hall subject from the same period represents Hasui's thorough exploration of the Nikko site across multiple compositions, each refining the balance between architectural subject and forest surroundings. The November date indicates the deepest autumn coloration of the surrounding foliage.