Early Morning Imperial Garden, Kyoto
by Miki Suizan
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Publisher:
- Watanabe Shozaburo
- Source:
by Miki Suizan
$800–$6,000. Common subjects: $800–$2,000. Key value factors: Miki Suizan's Kyoto maiko prints are the most popular. Condition and subject matter are key value factors.
The Imperial Palace grounds in Kyoto occupy a vast rectangular park in the center of the city, and Suizan captures the garden in the stillness of early morning before visitors arrive. Dawn light filters through pine trees and washes across manicured gravel paths, with the muted palette of grey-greens and soft blues conveying the cool air of first light. The Kyoto Imperial Palace garden differs from the famous temple gardens in its scale and formality, reflecting its origin as the grounds of the emperor's residence before the capital moved to Tokyo in 1868. Suizan's composition emphasizes the garden's spacious horizontality, stretching trees and pathways across the [oban](/glossary/oban) format to convey the sense of open ground rare in Kyoto's densely built urban fabric. The [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) gradation on the sky transitions from pale amber near the horizon to cooler tones above, marking the specific hour between night and full day.
![[Garden of] Taj Mahal, No. 1 (Taji Maharu no niwa, dai ichi) by Hiroshi Yoshida](https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/230993a7-d4f0-c979-c267-127d48e1ef1c/full/843,/0/default.jpg)
Taji Maharu no niwa, dai ichi
1931
Color woodblock print; oban
January 1938
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
1938
Color woodblock print; oban
10/70, 1966
Woodblock print
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Early Morning Imperial Garden, Kyoto was created by Miki Suizan (三木翠山).
Early Morning Imperial Garden, Kyoto was published by Watanabe Shozaburo.
Early Morning Imperial Garden, Kyoto depicts gardens, set at Kyoto.
