Autumn foliage subjects by Hasui are popular but trade at a slight discount to his snow and rain scenes — the seasonal color is inherently pleasing but less technically demanding than atmospheric precipitation effects. Pre-war lifetime editions command the strongest premiums; combined subjects (autumn foliage with rain, twilight, or temple architecture) approach rain and night scene pricing. Pre-war lifetime editions bearing the Watanabe copyright seal (A through G types, 1926–1944) are the most desirable.
Kegon Falls at Nikko (1927 version), depicts the great waterfall of Kegon-no-taki — where the outflow of Lake Chuzenji drops nearly 100 meters in a single continuous cascade — in what is likely the full summer flow when the falls run at maximum volume, their white curtain of water visible against the dark basalt gorge walls. The 1927 date places this in Hasui's active Nikko documentation phase, when the region's combination of mountain landscape, ancient shrines, and dramatic natural features occupied him across multiple compositions. The Kegon Falls subject offered Hasui a rare opportunity for a pure vertical composition dominated by falling water.
n.d.
Color woodblock print
late 19th century
Color woodblock print
Woodblock print
1920
Color woodblock print; oban
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Kegon Falls, Nikko (Nikko Kegon no taki) was created by Kawase Hasui (川瀬巴水) in 1927.
Kegon Falls, Nikko (Nikko Kegon no taki) was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (1927).
Kegon Falls, Nikko (Nikko Kegon no taki) depicts waterfalls and rivers & lakes, set at Nikko.
