Untitled
by Kawase Hasui
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- Watanabe Print
- Image courtesy of
- Watanabe Print
Description
A [shin-hanga](/glossary/shin-hanga) print by Kawase Hasui, likely depicting a harbor or coastal scene under moonlight or at dusk. Hasui's nocturnal and crepuscular compositions frequently feature reflections on still water — the wavering image of lanterns, boats, or distant mountains mirrored in a harbor or bay. The printer's workshop would have employed multiple impression passes to build up the dark, layered tones of water and sky, with [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) gradations suggesting the transition from twilight to night. Fishing vessels, wooden piers, or coastal village structures may anchor the foreground, providing geometric counterweight to an open expanse of water. The limited palette typical of such scenes — indigo, ochre, and grey — conveys mood through restraint rather than chromatic variety. Hasui produced numerous harbor and coastal subjects throughout his career, particularly during travels along Japan's Pacific and Sea of Japan coastlines in the 1920s and 1930s.

![[abstract composition with diagonal woodgrain] by Gen Yamaguchi](https://1.api.artsmia.org/800/135949.jpg)