Key value factors: Edition order (first Watanabe/Doi printing vs. posthumous reprints) is crucial. Snow scenes, night views, and bijin-ga typically command premiums. Publisher seals and artist signatures authenticate first editions.
This woodblock print presents a view of Odawara, the castle town that served as the last major stop on the Tokaido road before travelers began the difficult climb over the Hakone mountains. Komori Soseki renders the town with the measured calm of shin-hanga landscape printing, likely showing its coastline or the approaches to its famous castle. Odawara's strategic position made it a subject for printmakers since the Edo period, most notably Hiroshige. Soseki's interpretation reflects the quieter sensibility of the early Showa era, when shin-hanga artists tended to depict places emptied of crowds, focusing instead on architecture, natural setting, and the quality of light particular to a location.
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.
Odawara was created by Komori Soseki (小森漱石).
Odawara depicts landscapes, seascapes, and travel scenes.
