Yakumo Bridge at Nagata Shrine in Kobe (Kobe Nagata-jinja Yakumobashi), from the series "Collection of Views of Japan II, Kansai Edition (Nihon fukei shu II Kansai hen)" by Kawase Hasui — Japanese Color woodblock print; oban, 1930

Yakumo Bridge at Nagata Shrine in Kobe (Kobe Nagata-jinja Yakumobashi), from the series "Collection of Views of Japan II, Kansai Edition (Nihon fukei shu II Kansai hen)"

by Kawase Hasui

Date:
1930
Medium:
Color woodblock print; oban
Format:
Oban
Edition:
Published by Watanabe Shozaburo

Typical Price

$3,000–$100,000+. Common designs, later printings: $3,000–$8,000. Key value factors: First edition (Watanabe 6mm seal) vs. later printings significantly affects price. Snow scenes and night views tend to command premiums.

Description

"Yakumo Bridge at Nagata Shrine in Kobe" is a shin-hanga landscape print by Kawase Hasui, created during the Taisho and Showa periods. This atmospheric composition captures a specific place and moment with the poetic sensibility that characterizes the finest Japanese landscape prints.

Kawase Hasui brings characteristic attention to atmospheric conditions and seasonal nuance, using the woodblock medium's capacity for subtle color gradation to create a landscape that feels both specific to its location and universal in its emotional resonance.

This print is part of the series "Collection of Views of Japan II, Kansai Edition (Nihon fukei shu II Kansai hen)," which stands as one of Kawase Hasui's significant achievements in documenting Japan's landscapes. The series format allowed the artist to explore variations of light, weather, and season across different locations.

As a shin-hanga print, this work was produced through the traditional collaborative system of artist, woodblock carver, and printer, resulting in the refined technical quality that distinguishes the movement — visible in the precise color registration, smooth gradations (bokashi), and rich, saturated pigments.

This print represents Kawase Hasui's contribution to the shin-hanga tradition during the Taisho and Showa periods. As with all works by this artist, it reflects both individual artistic vision and the broader cultural moment in which it was created. For collectors and admirers of Japanese printmaking, it offers a window into the sophisticated aesthetic world that produced some of the most beloved images in art history.

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