Five Story Pagoda

Medium:: Woodblock print
Format:: Oban
Publisher:: Watanabe Shozaburo
Edition:

Published by Watanabe Shozaburo

Source:

Typical Price

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.

Export editions or later printings: $100–$500
Signed lifetime editions: $500–$2,500
Premium impressions with provenance: $2,500–$8,000

Description

A five-story pagoda rises above surrounding trees or temple buildings in a composition that emphasizes height and vertical aspiration — the architecture's upward thrust meeting the graduated sky above in the characteristic [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) treatment of atmospheric depth. Shotei's multiple pagoda compositions show his sustained interest in this architectural form as a landscape element, its geometric regularity providing a stabilizing counterpoint to the organic forms of trees and clouds. The specific temple site is undetermined, giving this version a generalized quality.