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Night at the Pond Edge- Shinobazu Pond — 夜の池畔(不忍池) by Kawase Hasui — Japanese Woodblock print

Night at the Pond Edge- Shinobazu Pond — 夜の池畔(不忍池)

by Kawase Hasui

Medium:
Woodblock print
Image courtesy of
Japanese Art Open Database

Description

Among Hasui's several treatments of Shinobazu Pond's edge at night, this impression shares the close compositional viewpoint implied by the title 夜の池畔(不忍池). The scene positions the viewer at the water's margin, where the boundary between land and pond creates a horizontal layering of dark earth, reflective water, and the silhouetted treeline of Ueno Park beyond. Hasui was attentive to how different lighting conditions — moonlight, lantern glow, or the diffuse luminosity of an overcast night sky — altered the pond's character, and each variant impression may reflect seasonal or atmospheric variation in the original sketch. The shin-hanga technique permitted nuanced gradation in the water reflections through the baren-applied bokashi. Variant numbered impressions of this design offer collectors a record of how the printing blocks aged and how Watanabe Shozaburo's workshop adjusted the color across the design's print run.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Night at the Pond Edge- Shinobazu Pond — 夜の池畔(不忍池) was created by Kawase Hasui (川瀬巴水).

Night at the Pond Edge- Shinobazu Pond — 夜の池畔(不忍池) depicts night scenes.