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Hanga

A free platform for exploring Japanese woodblock prints from the shin-hanga, sosaku-hanga, and ukiyo-e traditions.

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Shiko Munakata
Shishikutsu (In the Cave)

Shishikutsu (In the Cave)

by Shiko Munakata

Sōsaku-hanga

Landscapes Figures Mythology

Date:

1953

Medium:

Woodblock print

Edition:

Self-printed

Source:

Art of Japan

Typical Price

Rare early signed work in excellent condition: $5,000–$25,000
Fine signed mid-century print: $2,000–$8,000
Good condition signed example: $500–$2,500

Description

"Shishikutsu (In the Cave)" from 1953 depicts a scene of cave-dwelling or cave encounter — the cave being in both world mythology and Japanese tradition a liminal space: the threshold between the human world and the underworld, between the profane and the sacred. In Japanese mythology, the cave is associated with Amaterasu's withdrawal and the Kagura dance that drew her out. For Munakata, the cave as subject may have carried both this mythological resonance and the visual interest of an enclosed, dark space from which figures emerge or into which they retreat — a metaphor for the creative act of drawing forms from the darkness of the woodblock.

More Prints by Shiko Munakata

Flying Over the Mountains (Yamagoe), from the series "The Tale of the Auklet (Uto Hanga-kan)"

1960

Woodblock print

Bodhisattva Manjusri (Monju bosatsu no saku), from the series Ten Great Disciples of the Buddha Sakyamuni (Shaka jûdai deshi), Shôwa period, undated (block carved 1948)

Shôwa period, 1926-1989

Woodblock print

Ragora (Rahula), from the series "Two Bodhisattva and Ten Great Disciples of Buddha Sakyamuni (Nibosatsu Shaka judai deshi)"

1939-68

Woodblock print

Ubari (Upali), from the series "Two Bodhisattva and Ten Great Disciples of Buddha Sakyamuni (Nibosatsu Shaka judai deshi)"

1939 (printed 1955)

Woodblock print

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.

Mount Fuji in Japanese Woodblock Prints Sōsaku-Hanga: The Creative-Print Movement Meisho-e: Famous-Place Prints Japanese Ghost and Yōkai Prints

Frequently Asked Questions

Shishikutsu (In the Cave) was created by Shiko Munakata (棟方志功) in 1953.

Shishikutsu (In the Cave) depicts landscapes, figures, and mythology.