![Title unknown [Hermit's Cell in a Forest] by Kihei Sasajima — Japanese Woodblock print, ink on paper, 1948](https://1.api.artsmia.org/800/27344.jpg)
Title unknown [Hermit's Cell in a Forest]
- Date:
- 1948
- Medium:
- Woodblock print, ink on paper
- Dimensions:
- 38.5 × 50 cm
- Edition:
- Self-printed
- Source:
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
Description
This 1948 ink-on-paper woodblock print depicts a hermit's dwelling deep within a forest, a subject laden with spiritual and literary significance in East Asian culture. The hermit's cell, or an (hermitage), appears throughout Japanese and Chinese literature as a place of voluntary withdrawal from worldly affairs, associated with Buddhist monks, Taoist sages, and reclusive poets. Sasajima's rendering places the small structure within enveloping trees, emphasizing its isolation and the dense natural world that surrounds it. The ink-only palette reinforces the austerity of the hermit's existence, while the forest presses in on the modest dwelling from all sides. For Sasajima, whose Buddhist convictions shaped his artistic vision, the hermit's cell represented an ideal of spiritual simplicity that resonated with his own practice.
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
Title unknown [Hermit's Cell in a Forest] was created by Kihei Sasajima (笹島喜平) in 1948.
Title unknown [Hermit's Cell in a Forest] depicts landscapes, religious, and trees.
Title unknown [Hermit's Cell in a Forest] measures 38.5 × 50 cm.