Snow at a Guest House Overlooking a Pond, from an untitled series of views of the Mitsubishi villa in Fukagawa
by Kawase Hasui
by Kawase Hasui
Snow scenes represent Hasui's most valuable and technically innovative subject category — he developed specialized carving techniques specifically for depicting falling snow. These subjects carry a consistent 30–50% premium over comparable non-snow designs. Evening Snow at Kambara (a landmark design) achieved $7,200 at Tokyo auction (2024) for a Taisho-era impression. Pine Trees After Snow (first/limited edition) sold for $4,300 at Artelino (2021). Winter Moon over Toyama Moor, combining snow and night effects, reached $3,600 (2022). Pre-earthquake impressions (before September 1923) are the rarest of all, as the Kanto Earthquake destroyed Watanabe's workshop and most early blocks.
"Snow at a Guest House Overlooking a Pond, from an untitled series of views of the Mitsubishi villa in Fukagawa" is a shin-hanga print by Kawase Hasui, created during the Taisho and Showa periods. This abstract work reflects the artist's exploration of form, color, and texture through the woodblock medium.
Kawase Hasui approaches abstraction through the unique constraints and possibilities of woodblock printing, where the grain of the wood, the pressure of the baren, and the interaction of pigment and paper all contribute to the final image. His atmospheric prints are treasured for their poetic tranquility.
As a sosaku-hanga work — designed, carved, and printed entirely by the artist's own hand — this print embodies the creative philosophy that the printmaker's personal expression should permeate every stage of production, from concept to finished impression.
This print represents Kawase Hasui's contribution to the shin-hanga tradition during the Taisho and Showa periods. As with all works by this artist, it reflects both individual artistic vision and the broader cultural moment in which it was created. For collectors and admirers of Japanese printmaking, it offers a window into the sophisticated aesthetic world that produced some of the most beloved images in art history.
Wakasa Kugushiko
1920
Color woodblock print; oban
Woodblock print
1934
Color woodblock print; oban
n.d.
Woodblock print; ishizuri-e, section of harimaze sheet
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Snow at a Guest House Overlooking a Pond, from an untitled series of views of the Mitsubishi villa in Fukagawa was created by Kawase Hasui (川瀬巴水) in 1920.
Snow at a Guest House Overlooking a Pond, from an untitled series of views of the Mitsubishi villa in Fukagawa uses Bokashi, Karazuri, and Nishiki-e, on color woodblock print; oban.
Snow at a Guest House Overlooking a Pond, from an untitled series of views of the Mitsubishi villa in Fukagawa was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (1920).
Snow at a Guest House Overlooking a Pond, from an untitled series of views of the Mitsubishi villa in Fukagawa depicts landscapes, snow scenes, and rivers & lakes.
Snow at a Guest House Overlooking a Pond, from an untitled series of views of the Mitsubishi villa in Fukagawa measures 25.9 × 38.1 cm (Oban format).
