Rain at Hataori, Shiobara (Shiobara Hataori no ume)

Date:: March 1955
Medium:: Color woodblock print
Format:: Oban
Publisher:

Edition:

Published by Watanabe Shozaburo

Source:

Typical Price

Rain scenes are Hasui's second most desirable atmospheric category, carrying a 20–40% premium over comparable clear-weather subjects. Rainy Season, Shinagawa (1931) sold for $4,375 at Christie's Online (2020). The bokashi gradation technique used for rain effects demands superior impressions — well-preserved sky gradations add significantly to value, while faded examples lose much of their impact. Postwar lifetime editions (1946–1957) bearing the small 6mm J-seal represent authentic lifetime impressions but from the artist's final decade.

Pre-war lifetime edition (Watanabe seal): $1,500–$5,500
Postwar lifetime edition (J-seal): $600–$2,000
Posthumous/Heisei edition: $250–$700

Description

Rain at Hataori in Shiobara, Tochigi Prefecture, falls on the onsen village in March 1955 — late-winter rain bringing the first warmth of approaching spring to the hot spring gorge. The title's reference to ume (plum blossoms) suggests the rain falls while the first plum trees are blooming, the combination of cold rain and early-spring flowers a classic seasonal transition image. [Bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) gradations in the wet air give the village its characteristic rain-misted depth.