Otemon Gate
- Date:
- 1957
- Medium:
- Color woodblock print; edition 7/30
- Edition:
- Self-printed
- Source:
- Art Institute of Chicago
Typical Price
$1,000–$8,000. Common subjects: $1,000–$2,500. Key value factors: Hashimoto's bold castle prints are his most recognizable and collected works. Larger formats command premiums.
Description
Otemon Gate, printed in 1957 in an edition of seven, presents the main gate of Osaka Castle — one of the most imposing castle gates in Japan, with its massive timber crossbar gate (masugata) and flanking guardhouses. The gate as a subject focused Hashimoto's architectural attention on a specific structural element rather than the castle ensemble, allowing close examination of the timber joinery, stone foundation work, and proportional relationships of a single architectural component. The gate's threshold function — marking the boundary between exterior and interior, between the ordinary world and the fortified domain — adds symbolic resonance to the architectural subject.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Otemon Gate was created by Okiie Hashimoto (橋本興家) in 1957.
Otemon Gate depicts architecture.