Mountain Path in Autum
- Date:
- 1946
- Medium:
- Woodblock print, ink on paper
- Dimensions:
- 38.1 × 49.5 cm
- Edition:
- Self-printed
- Source:
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
Description
Dated 1946, this ink-on-paper woodblock print shows a mountain path in autumn, when deciduous trees shift from green to the warm spectrum of red, orange, and gold. Working in ink alone, Sasajima must convey the season's color through tonal variation rather than pigment, a constraint that pushes the image toward abstraction. The textures of the carved woodblock stand in for the varied surfaces of autumn foliage, bare branches, and rocky trail. This early print places Sasajima within the sosaku-hanga tradition at a pivotal moment, when the movement was rebuilding after the war years and artists were finding that Japan's natural landscapes offered subjects untouched by the destruction that had transformed urban environments. The mountain path in autumn carries overtones of the Buddhist understanding of impermanence.
More Prints by Kihei Sasajima
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
Mountain Path in Autum was created by Kihei Sasajima (笹島喜平) in 1946.
Mountain Path in Autum depicts landscapes and mountains.
Mountain Path in Autum measures 38.1 × 49.5 cm.