Mountain river
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Edition:
- Self-printed
- Source:
- Honolulu Museum of Art
Description
This woodblock print depicts a river flowing through a mountain valley, combining two of Sasajima's favored subjects into a single composition. The meeting of moving water and solid rock creates a visual dialogue between permanence and flux that Sasajima exploits for both formal and contemplative effect. The mountain walls frame the river, directing the viewer's eye along the water's course, while the river itself introduces motion and sound into the still image. Sasajima's carved lines must serve double duty, rendering both the hard angularity of rock and the fluid curves of current. The mountain river landscape has deep roots in East Asian ink painting, and Sasajima's woodblock version acknowledges this lineage while grounding it in the physical specificity of Japanese mountain terrain.
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 river was created by Kihei Sasajima (笹島喜平).
Mountain river depicts landscapes, rivers & lakes, and mountains.