Shotei produced a wide range of subjects throughout his career under publishers Watanabe and Daikokuya. Signed, sealed lifetime editions consistently outperform unsigned export-market copies.
Fishing and transport vessels at sunset on a Japanese bay or harbor — their dark silhouettes cutting against the amber and crimson sky reflected in the water below — capture the working maritime life of Japan at the day's most theatrical moment. Shotei renders the sunset with the warm [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) gradations that the subject demands, the boats' forms simplified against the luminous sky into near-silhouettes that balance specificity and atmosphere. The boats at sunset was one of the most practiced subjects in the [shin-hanga](/glossary/shin-hanga) landscape repertoire.
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.
Boats at Sunset was created by Takahashi Shotei (高橋松亭).
Boats at Sunset was published by Watanabe Shozaburo.
Boats at Sunset depicts landscapes, boats & ships, and seascapes.
