River in snow
by Kawase Hasui
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- Japanese Art Open Database
- Image courtesy of
- Japanese Art Open Database
Description
Hasui's winter river scenes rank among his most celebrated works, earning him recognition as one of the preeminent printmakers of snow subjects in the shin-hanga movement. This composition likely depicts a quiet waterway under snowfall or a heavy accumulation, with the white of bare washi paper standing in for snow — a technique requiring precise registration to leave unpigmented areas crisp. Leafless trees or snow-laden evergreens would frame the river banks, their reflections broken across dark, slow-moving water. The sky is typically rendered through gradated bokashi, shifting from deep blue or gray at the upper margin through pale tones near the horizon. The stillness conveyed by such images was a hallmark of Hasui's atmospheric approach to landscape.
More Prints by Kawase Hasui
More Landscapes Prints
Lake Kugushi in Wakasa Province (Wakasa Kugushiko), from the series Souvenirs of Travel I (Tabi miyage dai isshu)"
Wakasa Kugushiko
1920
Color woodblock print; oban
Autumn Maple Leaves at Takao, from the album Eight Views of Kyoto (Kyôto hakkei)
Woodblock print
The Beach at Kaiganji in Sanuki Province (Sanuki Kaiganji no hama), from the series "Collection of Views of Japan II, Kansai Edition (Nihon fukei shu II Kansai hen)"
1934
Color woodblock print; oban
Tea Kettle, section of a sheet from the series "Mirror of Stone Rubbings of Views of the Provinces" (Kohon meihitsu ishizuri kagami)
n.d.
Woodblock print; ishizuri-e, section of harimaze sheet
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
River in snow was created by Kawase Hasui (川瀬巴水).
River in snow depicts landscapes.