Key value factors: Edition order (first Watanabe/Doi printing vs. posthumous reprints) is crucial. Snow scenes, night views, and bijin-ga typically command premiums. Publisher seals and artist signatures authenticate first editions.
The setting sun at Ise-Shima bathes the coastal landscape of the Kii Peninsula in warm light as day gives way to evening over the Pacific Ocean. Nishiyama's woodblock print captures the moment when the lowering sun transforms the sea surface into a sheet of molten color, silhouetting the irregular coastline of bays, capes, and offshore islands against the luminous sky. Ise-Shima's west-facing shoreline is ideally positioned for sunset viewing, and the print exploits the full chromatic range available to the woodblock medium, layering warm yellows, oranges, and deep reds through successive printings. The coastal rocks and pine trees in the foreground serve as dark anchoring forms against the brilliance of the sky and water beyond.
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.
Setting Sun at Iseshima was created by Nishiyama Hideo (西山英雄).
Setting Sun at Iseshima depicts landscapes, seascapes, and night scenes.
