Sunset at Morigasaki (Morigasaki no sekiyo)
by Kawase Hasui
- Date:
- January 1932
- Medium:
- Color woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Publisher:
- Watanabe Shozaburo
- Edition:
- Published by Watanabe Shozaburo
- Source:
- Art Institute of Chicago
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
Morigasaki is a coastal point in the Shinagawa area of Tokyo Bay, and sunset here in January 1932 turned the bay water into a flat sheet of orange and rose. The sekiyo (setting sun) title describes the last light as it falls on the bay's flat surface, silhouetting pine trees on the point and reflecting back in long warm bands across the water. The Morigasaki sunset was one of the classic bay-view subjects from the southern edge of the Tokyo waterfront.
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
Sunset at Morigasaki (Morigasaki no sekiyo) was created by Kawase Hasui (川瀬巴水) in January 1932.
Sunset at Morigasaki (Morigasaki no sekiyo) was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (January 1932).
Sunset at Morigasaki (Morigasaki no sekiyo) depicts landscapes, seascapes, and night scenes.