Wind in the Forest (Kaze aru hayashi)
- Date:
- 1959
- Medium:
- Woodblock print; edition 5/30
- Edition:
- Self-printed
- Source:
- Art Institute of Chicago
Description
Produced in 1959 in an edition of thirty, this woodblock print captures the sensation of wind moving through a forest, a subject that tests the printmaker's ability to convey invisible force through visible effect. The trees become instruments of the wind's passage, their trunks rigid while their canopies bend and sway. Sasajima's carved lines must suggest both the solidity of the trees and the fluid movement of air among them, a tension between permanence and transience that aligns with Buddhist philosophical concerns. The Japanese title "Kaze aru hayashi" literally translates as "forest where there is wind," a characteristically understated description. The limited edition of thirty prints indicates a relatively small run, consistent with the sosaku-hanga practice where the artist-printer personally pulled each impression.
More Prints by Kihei Sasajima
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Lake Kugushi in Wakasa Province (Wakasa Kugushiko), from the series Souvenirs of Travel I (Tabi miyage dai isshu)"
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Autumn Maple Leaves at Takao, from the album Eight Views of Kyoto (Kyôto hakkei)
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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)"
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Tea Kettle, section of a sheet from the series "Mirror of Stone Rubbings of Views of the Provinces" (Kohon meihitsu ishizuri kagami)
n.d.
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Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Wind in the Forest (Kaze aru hayashi) was created by Kihei Sasajima (笹島喜平) in 1959.
Wind in the Forest (Kaze aru hayashi) depicts landscapes and trees.