Key value factors: For living or recently deceased artists, limited edition size and gallery representation drive value. Signed and numbered prints from smaller editions are most desirable.
The ancient Cheomseongdae observatory in Gyeongju, Korea, rendered as a sturdy cylindrical stone tower rising from the earth. Kobashi Yasuhide treats the seventh-century astronomical structure with a printmaker's eye for texture, carving each course of fitted granite blocks so the viewer can almost feel the weathered surfaces. The observatory's simple, powerful geometry—a bottle-shaped stack of stone against open sky—translates naturally into the woodblock medium's strengths of strong silhouette and bold tonal contrast. The print serves as both architectural study and quiet meditation on structures built to last centuries.
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.
Stone Observatory in Kiyonju was created by Kobashi Yasuhide (小橋泰秀).
Stone Observatory in Kiyonju depicts landscapes, architecture, and travel scenes.
