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Starlit Night - Miyajima Shrine — 星月夜（宮島） by Kawase Hasui — Japanese Woodblock print

Starlit Night - Miyajima Shrine — 星月夜（宮島）

by Kawase Hasui

Shin-hanga
Night Scenes
Medium:
Woodblock print
Image courtesy of
Japanese Art Open Database

Description

Among the multiple impressions and editions of Hasui's Miyajima starlit night subject, this printing shows the characteristic features of the composition: the torii of Itsukushima Shrine rising from still water under a dark sky punctuated with stars. Variations across impressions of this subject reflect the active reprinting history of Hasui's most popular designs — later impressions may show softer lines from worn blocks or altered colorways introduced by publishers after the original run. The night-water reflection effect required precise registration of multiple color blocks, and the quality of bokashi gradation from deep indigo at the upper sky through lighter tones at the waterline distinguishes fine early impressions from later printings.

More Prints by Kawase Hasui

Cormorant Fishing on Nagaragawa — 鵜飼（長良川） by Kawase Hasui

Cormorant Fishing on Nagaragawa — 鵜飼（長良川）

Woodblock print

Namari Spa — 岩手県鉛温泉 by Kawase Hasui

Namari Spa — 岩手県鉛温泉

Woodblock print

Dusk- Tasogare — たそがれ by Kawase Hasui

Dusk- Tasogare — たそがれ

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Okutama in the Rain by Kawase Hasui

Okutama in the Rain

Woodblock print

More Night Scenes Prints

E

Evening in East Africa

Woodblock print

E

Evening Shower at Teradomari (Teradomari no yau), from the series "Souvenirs of Travel, Second Series (Tabi miyage dai nishu)"

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

Mount Fuji on a Moonlit Night, Kawai Bridge (Tsukiyo no Fuji [Kawaibashi]), from the series "Selection of Views of the Tokaido (Tokaido fukei senshu)"

1947

Color woodblock print; oban

Evening Moon at Nakanoshima, Sapporo (Sapporo Nakanoshima no yuzuki), from the series "Collection of Views of Japan, Eastern Japan Edition (Nihon fukei shu higashi Nihon hen)" by Kawase Hasui

Evening Moon at Nakanoshima, Sapporo (Sapporo Nakanoshima no yuzuki), from the series "Collection of Views of Japan, Eastern Japan Edition (Nihon fukei shu higashi Nihon hen)"

March 1933

Color woodblock print; oban

Featured in Collections

Curated cross-cuts that include this print.

Shin-Hanga: Japan's Twentieth-Century Print Revival

Frequently Asked Questions

Starlit Night - Miyajima Shrine — 星月夜（宮島） was created by Kawase Hasui (川瀬巴水).

Starlit Night - Miyajima Shrine — 星月夜（宮島） depicts night scenes.