White Residence — 白い民家
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- Japanese Art Open Database
Typical Price
Key value factors: As self-carved and self-printed works, sosaku-hanga value is tied to the artist's reputation and edition size. Larger formats, earlier editions, and historically significant works command the highest prices.
- Common examples: $100–$500
- Good impressions: $500–$2,000
- Premium/scarce: $2,000–$10,000
Description
This woodblock print depicts a white residence, identified by the Japanese title "Shiroi Minka," meaning a white folk house or farmhouse. The white walls of the building provide a striking visual anchor against the softer, more ambiguous tones of Miyamoto Shufu's surrounding landscape. Minka architecture, with its heavy thatched or tiled roofs, thick earthen walls, and dark wooden structural elements, represents a Japanese building tradition that stretches back centuries. The white surface of this particular residence may indicate lime-plastered kura storehouse walls or whitewashed exterior surfaces that protect against fire and weather. Shufu renders the building as both an architectural subject and a tonal event, its bright walls functioning as a patch of concentrated light within the broader atmospheric haze of the landscape. The dwelling appears rooted in its setting, a permanent presence amid shifting weather.
