Village of Ohara (Ohara no sato)

Ohara is a small village nestled in the mountains northeast of Kyoto, famous for its rural atmosphere, thatch-roofed farmhouses, and the ancient temple of Sanzen-in. The Japanese subtitle "Ohara no sato" emphasizes the village character of the settlement, using the word "sato" (hamlet or village) to distinguish it from the city below. Tatsuo Kawashima's color woodblock print from an edition of 100 captures this hillside community surrounded by forests and terraced fields. Ohara has been a place of retreat from Kyoto's urban intensity for centuries, and its preserved traditional architecture and agricultural landscape make it a living record of pre-modern rural Japan. Edition number 74 of 100 indicates a late impression, though Kawashima's careful block management ensured consistent print quality across the edition.