Sarusawa Pond in Nara, famous for its pagoda reflection, gains an entirely different character under moonlight in this composition. The nocturnal setting transforms the familiar daytime view into something mysterious and evocative. Prices generally range from $200-$600, and this moonlit variant tends to be scarcer than the daytime version.
Moonlight in Sarusawa Pond, Nara presents the celebrated reflective pond before Kofuku-ji Temple by night — the five-story pagoda and surrounding structures doubled in the still water, the entire scene suffused with the silver-blue light of a full moon. The Sarusawa Pond at moonlight was among the "Eight Views of Nara" in the classical tradition, and its established status as a subject of aesthetic contemplation gave Asano's rendering a resonance with centuries of prior representations. His version honors this tradition while bringing his own atmospheric sensitivity to bear on the nocturnal scene.
Nikko Chuzenjiko
1930
Color woodblock print; oban
Wakasa Kugushiko
1920
Color woodblock print; oban
Niigata Gosaibori
1921
Color woodblock print; oban
Woodblock print
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Moonlight in Sarusawa Pond, Nara (猿沢の池月光) was created by Takeji Asano (浅野竹二).
Moonlight in Sarusawa Pond, Nara uses Bokashi, Nishiki-e, and Moku-hanga, on woodblock print.
Moonlight in Sarusawa Pond, Nara was published by Unsodo.
Moonlight in Sarusawa Pond, Nara depicts rivers & lakes, moonlight, and night scenes, set at Nara.
