The 1946 Haniwa (2) was among the earliest of Saito's explorations of these ancient clay burial figures, made in the aftermath of Japan's defeat and the beginning of a period of intense national self-examination. His turn toward Japan's oldest sculptural tradition at this moment carries potential significance: the haniwa, predating Buddhism and Chinese cultural influence, represent a Japan before its historical complexities, a formal vocabulary of surprising modernity found in deep antiquity.
Kamakura Daibutsu
1930
Color woodblock print
1950
Color woodblock print
大仏
Woodblock print
1926
Color woodblock print; oban
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Haniwa (2) was created by Saito Kiyoshi (斎藤清) in 1946.
Haniwa (2) depicts religious, still life, and abstract.
Haniwa (2) measures 24 × 37.9 cm.
