Mountain Path
- Date:
- 1950
- Medium:
- Woodblock print, ink on paper
- Dimensions:
- 35.8 × 50 cm
- Edition:
- Self-printed
- Source:
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
$500–$4,000. Common prints: $500–$1,500. Key value factors: Sasajima's meditative prints appeal to collectors of both Japanese prints and modern art.
Created in 1950, this ink-on-paper woodblock print depicts a path ascending through mountainous terrain. The mountain path was among Sasajima's most enduring subjects, a motif he explored in multiple prints across different seasons and years. The ascending trail offered both compositional interest, with its serpentine line climbing through the picture plane, and spiritual resonance, with the upward journey echoing Buddhist concepts of progression toward enlightenment. The ink-only technique produces stark tonal contrasts between the pale path and the dark surrounding terrain, creating a graphic clarity that emphasizes the solitary quality of mountain travel. Sasajima's carved lines follow the contours of rock and vegetation with an economy that suggests familiarity with the actual terrain, likely drawn from hiking trips in Japan's mountain regions.
Wakasa Kugushiko
1920
Color woodblock print; oban
Woodblock print
1934
Color woodblock print; oban
n.d.
Woodblock print; ishizuri-e, section of harimaze sheet
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Mountain Path was created by Kihei Sasajima (笹島喜平) in 1950.
Mountain Path depicts landscapes and mountains.
Mountain Path measures 35.8 × 50 cm.
