![Starlit Night at Miyajima (Hoshizukiyo [Miyajima]), from the series Souvenirs of Travel, Third Series (Tabi miyage dai sanshu) by Kawase Hasui — Japanese Color woodblock print; oban, 1928](https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/f570c5b4-b857-817b-b674-bf6c8f1576a6/full/843,/0/default.jpg)
Starlit Night at Miyajima (Hoshizukiyo [Miyajima]), from the series Souvenirs of Travel, Third Series (Tabi miyage dai sanshu)
Hoshizukiyo [Miyajima]
by Kawase Hasui
Hoshizukiyo [Miyajima]
by Kawase Hasui
Night views with moonlight and lantern effects carry a 20–30% premium over comparable daytime scenes. The dramatic tonal contrasts required for nocturnal subjects make impression quality especially important — fine examples from pre-war printings show a depth of color that later editions rarely match. Prints with well-preserved black areas and accurate moonlight bokashi command the highest prices. Pre-war lifetime editions bearing the Watanabe copyright seal (A through G types, 1926–1944) are the most desirable.
Starlit Night at Miyajima is among Kawase Hasui's most enchanting nocturnal compositions, depicting the great torii gate of Itsukushima Shrine silhouetted against a star-filled sky. Created in 1928 as part of his "Souvenirs of Travel, Third Series" published by Watanabe Shozaburo, the print transforms this iconic sacred site into a vision of ethereal nighttime beauty. The massive torii gate stands in the calm waters of the Inland Sea, its dark form reflected in the still surface below while countless stars glitter overhead in a deep blue-black sky.
Night scenes presented particular technical challenges for woodblock print artists, requiring the careful building up of deep, rich darks through multiple printing passes while preserving luminous highlights for stars, moonlight, or artificial illumination. In this print, Hasui and his collaborating craftsmen achieved a remarkable depth of tone in the night sky while maintaining the individual brilliance of each star. The water surface is rendered with subtle tonal variations that suggest gentle movement and starlight reflections, creating an effect of extraordinary atmospheric beauty.
Miyajima was a subject that clearly held deep fascination for Hasui, who depicted the island's famous floating torii gate under multiple conditions — in snow, by starlight, and in various seasons. This nocturnal version offers perhaps the most romantic and spiritually evocative interpretation, with the darkness stripping away all peripheral detail to focus attention on the elemental relationship between the sacred gate, the water, and the sky. The "Souvenirs of Travel" series, which eventually encompassed multiple installments produced over many years, represents some of Hasui's most personal and artistically ambitious work, recording the impressions gathered during his extensive travels throughout Japan. Starlit Night at Miyajima stands among the finest prints in this series and remains one of the most admired nocturnal scenes in the entire shin-hanga tradition.
Woodblock print
Teradomari no yau
1921
Color woodblock print; oban
![Mount Fuji on a Moonlit Night, Kawai Bridge (Tsukiyo no Fuji [Kawaibashi]), from the series "Selection of Views of the Tokaido (Tokaido fukei senshu)" by Kawase Hasui](https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/d0960668-1e73-339a-b182-fb995a54bff0/full/843,/0/default.jpg)
1947
Color woodblock print; oban
March 1933
Color woodblock print; oban
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Starlit Night at Miyajima (Hoshizukiyo [Miyajima]), from the series Souvenirs of Travel, Third Series (Tabi miyage dai sanshu) (Hoshizukiyo [Miyajima]) was created by Kawase Hasui (川瀬巴水) in 1928.
Yes — Starlit Night at Miyajima (Hoshizukiyo [Miyajima]), from the series Souvenirs of Travel, Third Series (Tabi miyage dai sanshu) is part of the Souvenirs of Travel, Third Series series (print 14) by Kawase Hasui.
Starlit Night at Miyajima (Hoshizukiyo [Miyajima]), from the series Souvenirs of Travel, Third Series (Tabi miyage dai sanshu) uses Bokashi, Nishiki-e, and Moku-hanga, on color woodblock print; oban.
Starlit Night at Miyajima (Hoshizukiyo [Miyajima]), from the series Souvenirs of Travel, Third Series (Tabi miyage dai sanshu) was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (1928).
Starlit Night at Miyajima (Hoshizukiyo [Miyajima]), from the series Souvenirs of Travel, Third Series (Tabi miyage dai sanshu) depicts night scenes and travel scenes, set at Miyajima.
Starlit Night at Miyajima (Hoshizukiyo [Miyajima]), from the series Souvenirs of Travel, Third Series (Tabi miyage dai sanshu) measures 26.3 × 39 cm (Oban format).
