
Etchu Gokasan, Ishikawa
- Medium:
- Mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock)
- Image courtesy of
- Saru Gallery
Description
The title locates the print in the Hokuriku region along the Sea of Japan coast, an area associated with the historical province of Etchu (modern Toyama) and neighboring Ishikawa. The Gokayama (Gokasan) area is best known for its gassho-zukuri thatched farmhouses, whose steeply pitched A-frame roofs evolved to shed the region's heavy winter snow. The composition likely renders one or several such structures in their valley setting, possibly accompanied by terraced paddies or wooded slopes. Tokuriki's regional landscapes extend his meisho-e practice beyond the well-trafficked Kyoto and Fuji subjects into less-touristed northern locales, joining a postwar tendency among shin-hanga and sosaku-hanga artists to document vernacular architecture before its disappearance. Compositional treatment typically emphasizes the geometric weight of roof against sloping land, with subdued earth tones, selective bokashi in the sky, and crisp keyblock lines defining the timber framing of the gassho roofs.
More Prints by Tomikichiro Tokuriki

Heian Shrine in the Spring
Woodblock print

An Oharame Girl Carrying Firewood on Her Head
20th century
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper

April (Arashiyama Park, a Famous Scenic Resort)
四月 (嵐山)
second half 20th century
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper

June (Rainy Scene of the Sen-ke, Japanese Tea Ceremony Founder's House)
六月 (千家雨景)
second half 20th century
Woodblock print, ink and color on paper
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Etchu Gokasan, Ishikawa was created by Tomikichiro Tokuriki (徳力富吉郎).