Spring Rain at Benkei Bridge
by Kawase Hasui
- Date:
- April 1936
- Medium:
- Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
- Format:
- Oban
- Dimensions:
- 34.5 × 24.5 cm
- Publisher:
- Watanabe Shozaburo
- Edition:
- Published by Watanabe Shozaburo
- Source:
- Art Institute of Chicago
Description
Spring rain at Benkei Bridge in Tokyo — named for the legendary warrior monk — falls on this April 1936 print, the bridge over the Tameike reservoir in Akasaka just visible through diagonal rain streaks. The harusame (spring rain) is a lighter, more poetic form of precipitation than autumn and winter rain in the Japanese seasonal vocabulary, and Hasui's palette for spring rain was accordingly softer. The bridge's reflection in the rain-pocked reservoir water gives the composition its vertical anchor.
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
Spring Rain at Benkei Bridge was created by Kawase Hasui (川瀬巴水) in April 1936.
Spring Rain at Benkei Bridge was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (April 1936).
Spring Rain at Benkei Bridge depicts landscapes, spring, and bridges.
Spring Rain at Benkei Bridge measures 34.5 × 24.5 cm (Oban format).