Snow at the Silver Pavilion (Ginkakuji no yuki)
by Kawase Hasui
by Kawase Hasui
Snow at a shrine or temple — Hasui's single most valuable subject combination. Prints pairing winter precipitation with sacred architecture dominate the top of his price range: Snow at Zojoji Temple ($16,000 at Artelino, 2023), Snow at Tosho-gu Shrine ($3,200 at Artelino, 2020), Snow at a Shrine Entrance ($3,100 at Artelino, 2020), Saishoin Temple in the Snow ($3,000 at Artelino, 2023). Edition period is critical: pre-war lifetime editions consistently outperform posthumous prints by 3–5×. Pre-war lifetime editions bearing the Watanabe copyright seal (A through G types, 1926–1944) are the most desirable.
Ginkakuji — the Silver Pavilion — in northeastern Kyoto is paradoxically named: the pavilion was never silver-lacquered, but its sand garden, reflection pond, and surrounding maple forest make it one of Kyoto's most refined aesthetic environments. This June 1933 print shows Ginkakuji under snow — an unusual June date suggesting either a misdating or a special commission — the pavilion and its sand cone (Kogetsudai) dusted with white. Snow at the Silver Pavilion has a quietly ironic quality, the unsilver pavilion rendered truly silver.
Woodblock print
c. 1832/38
Color woodblock print; oban
Yuki no Miyajima
1929
Color woodblock print; oban
1932
Woodblock print
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Snow at the Silver Pavilion (Ginkakuji no yuki) was created by Kawase Hasui (川瀬巴水) in June 1933.
Snow at the Silver Pavilion (Ginkakuji no yuki) uses Bokashi, on color woodblock print.
Snow at the Silver Pavilion (Ginkakuji no yuki) was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (June 1933).
Snow at the Silver Pavilion (Ginkakuji no yuki) depicts snow scenes, temples & shrines, and architecture.
