May Rain- Arakawa — 五月雨（荒川）
by Kawase Hasui
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- Japanese Art Open Database
- Image courtesy of
- Japanese Art Open Database
Description
May Rain, Arakawa is a meisho-e landscape centered on the Arakawa River during the satsuki-ame rainy season. Hasui renders the wide river with characteristic restraint: a cool, desaturated palette, soft bokashi gradations in the sky, and diagonal rain lines that unify the pictorial surface. The Arakawa's broad, low-lying floodplain allows for an expansive horizontal composition with a low horizon and substantial sky mass. Trees or embankment vegetation along the bank anchor the composition while receding into grey-green mist. The print exemplifies the shin-hanga movement's interest in capturing transient atmospheric conditions rather than the fixed iconography of classical ukiyo-e landscape.
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Frequently Asked Questions
May Rain- Arakawa — 五月雨（荒川） was created by Kawase Hasui (川瀬巴水).
May Rain- Arakawa — 五月雨（荒川） depicts spring and rain.