a town as the moon is rising over the mountains
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- Japanese Art Open Database
- Image courtesy of
- Japanese Art Open Database
Description
This meisho-e composition depicts a mountain town at dusk or evening as the moon crests the ridgeline above, a subject that allowed Okumura to deploy the atmospheric graduated shading — bokashi — central to his practice. The interplay of residual twilight on the mountain peaks against the darkening valley below would have demanded precise tonal gradation across multiple blocks. Rooftops and the geometry of a settled community occupy the middle ground, grounding the celestial drama in everyday life. Printed by Unsodo, this composition exemplifies the shin-hanga movement's interest in capturing transient light effects with the technical precision of the woodblock medium, where multiple printings of diluted ink layers on damp washi paper build the soft luminosity characteristic of Okumura's nocturnal and twilight subjects.
More Prints by Okumura Koichi
More Landscapes Prints
Lake Kugushi in Wakasa Province (Wakasa Kugushiko), from the series Souvenirs of Travel I (Tabi miyage dai isshu)"
Wakasa Kugushiko
1920
Color woodblock print; oban
Autumn Maple Leaves at Takao, from the album Eight Views of Kyoto (Kyôto hakkei)
Woodblock print
The Beach at Kaiganji in Sanuki Province (Sanuki Kaiganji no hama), from the series "Collection of Views of Japan II, Kansai Edition (Nihon fukei shu II Kansai hen)"
1934
Color woodblock print; oban
Tea Kettle, section of a sheet from the series "Mirror of Stone Rubbings of Views of the Provinces" (Kohon meihitsu ishizuri kagami)
n.d.
Woodblock print; ishizuri-e, section of harimaze sheet
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
a town as the moon is rising over the mountains was created by Okumura Koichi (奥村厚一).
a town as the moon is rising over the mountains depicts landscapes.