Spring at Pyongyang (Pubyok Pavilion from Moran Hill)

Date:: 1939
Medium:: Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Format:: Oban
Dimensions:: 39.2 × 27.5 cm
Publisher:: Watanabe Shozaburo
Edition:: Published by Watanabe Shozaburo
Source:: Minneapolis Institute of Art

Typical Price

Edition period is the primary value driver for Hasui prints. Pre-war lifetime editions with the Watanabe copyright seal (A through D types) consistently achieve 3–5× the price of posthumous reprints of the same design. Condition is the second key factor — unfaded colors, full margins, and absence of foxing or staining are essential. Subject matter (snow > rain > night > other) provides a further modifier within each edition tier.

Pre-war lifetime edition (Watanabe seal, 1926–1944): $1,000–$4,000
Postwar lifetime edition (J-seal, 1946–1957): $400–$1,500
Posthumous/Heisei edition (seal K/I, 1957–present): $150–$600

Description

Spring at Pyongyang (Pubyok Pavilion from Moran Hill), published in 1939 as a standalone composition, depicts the view from Moranbong (Moran Hill) — the wooded hill above the Taedong River at the center of Pyongyang that was the city's historic park and viewpoint — looking down on the Pubyokru pavilion, an ancient two-story pavilion perched on a cliff above the river bend. The spring setting softens the cliff and woodland scenery with new foliage and blossoms. This standalone print relates to the Eight Views of Korea series from the same year, sharing its compositional approach to Korean landscape documentation.