Narazaki Eisho (Narazaki Eishô)

Cataloged under a variation of the artist's name, this woodblock print from the Showa period represents one of Narazaki Eisho's works whose specific subject has not been recorded with a descriptive title. The macron in "Eisho" indicates the long vowel in the Japanese pronunciation, and the dual listing of the name reflects the inconsistent romanization that affects many Japanese artists in Western databases. Given Narazaki's known output of landscapes, temple views, and kacho-e subjects, this print would depict one of these themes in the shin-hanga style that characterized his work. Active from the Taisho era through the Showa period, Narazaki produced prints that balanced topographical accuracy with the mood and atmospheric effects that distinguish shin-hanga from purely documentary imagery. The Showa dating covers a broad span from 1926 to 1989, leaving the specific creation date uncertain.