Sekitei, Ryôan-ji, Shôwa period, dated 1960
by Maeda Masao
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Edition:
- Self-printed
- Source:
- Harvard Art Museums
Description
Sekitei at Ryoan-ji — the famous dry stone garden of the Rinzai Zen temple in northwest Kyoto, dated 1960 in available records — is Maeda Masao's treatment of what may be the most celebrated garden composition in Japan. The Ryoan-ji rock garden, with its fifteen stones arranged in carefully raked white gravel, has been interpreted as a Zen meditation space, a stylized seascape, and a compositional masterpiece, and its deceptive simplicity challenged any printmaker's ability to convey its spatial and philosophical complexity. Maeda's 1960 print engages this challenge with his characteristic bold graphic directness.
More Prints by Maeda Masao
More Temples & Shrines Prints
Fushimi Inari Temple
伏見稲荷
Woodblock print
The Compound of the Tenman Shrine at Kameido in the Snow (Kameido Tenmangu keidai no yuki), from the series "Famous Places in the Eastern Capital (Toto meisho)"
c. 1832/38
Color woodblock print; oban
Temple with lanterns
Woodblock print
A Section of the Byodo Temple at Uji (Uji Byodoin no ichibu), from the series "Souvenirs of Travel, Second Series (Tabi miyage dai nishu)"
Uji Byodoin no ichibu
1921
Color woodblock print; oban
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sekitei, Ryôan-ji, Shôwa period, dated 1960 was created by Maeda Masao (前田政雄).
Sekitei, Ryôan-ji, Shôwa period, dated 1960 depicts temples & shrines, religious, and gardens.