Every Shunsen print from the 36-actor series and the supplemental 15-print series (1929–1931) was limited to ~150 copies, making all original Watanabe impressions inherently scarce. Mica backgrounds and vivid color are key condition criteria that separate first from later impressions.
The Kiso River, flowing through the mountainous Kiso Valley of central Japan, was a subject of perennial interest in Japanese landscape prints. Shunsen renders this river scene with the atmospheric sensitivity he brought to all his landscape subjects: bokashi gradations in sky and water convey the quality of light on a moving river, while the surrounding hills and banks are rendered with the precision of an artist trained to observe the specific, individual character of places as acutely as faces. The river's association with the historic Nakasendo highway gives the scene additional resonance.
1927
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
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.
Kiso River was created by Natori Shunsen (名取春仙).
Kiso River uses Bokashi, on woodblock print.
Kiso River was published by Watanabe Shozaburo.
Kiso River depicts landscapes and rivers & lakes.
