Lake Kawaguchi
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Source:
- Japanese Art Open Database
$300–$2,500. Common landscapes: $300–$800. Key value factors: Okumura's atmospheric landscape prints are modestly priced. Mountain and lake scenes are most sought after.
Lake Kawaguchi, one of the five lakes at the base of Mount Fuji, offers some of the most celebrated views of the mountain reflected in still water. This woodblock print likely positions the viewer on the lake's northern shore, looking south toward Fuji's symmetrical cone rising above the far bank. Koichi uses the lake surface as a compositional mirror, doubling the mountain's form and extending the vertical depth of the image. Lake Kawaguchi has been a favored subject for Japanese artists since the Edo period, and its proximity to Tokyo made it accessible to both artists and tourists. The oban format gives the horizontal expanse of the lake sufficient breadth, allowing Koichi to balance the dominant presence of the mountain against the quieter foreground of water and lakeshore vegetation.
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.
Lake Kawaguchi was created by Okumura Koichi (奥村厚一).
Lake Kawaguchi depicts landscapes and rivers & lakes.
