Shotei's figurative subjects are among his rarest and most valuable works. His "Abalone Diver" set the artist's auction record at $62,500 at Christie's New York. Original signed impressions of figure subjects are difficult to find.
A woman returns home at twilight through autumn scenery — the last light catching the turning leaves above her while the path ahead darkens into evening. Shotei calls this the "Tasogare" (dusk, or literally "who goes there?") hour, the atmospheric transition between day and night that Japanese aesthetics prized for its emotional ambiguity. The [bijin-ga](/glossary/bijin-ga) figure is subordinated to the mood of the season and the hour, her journey through the autumn landscape making her as much part of the natural scene as the changing leaves above her.
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Returning woman in an autumn evening — Tasogare was created by Takahashi Shotei (高橋松亭).
Returning woman in an autumn evening — Tasogare was published by Watanabe Shozaburo.
Returning woman in an autumn evening — Tasogare depicts bijin-ga, night scenes, and autumn foliage.
