Kashiwara Shrine

Medium:: Woodblock print
Format:: Oban
Publisher:: Doi Sadaichi
Edition:

Published by Watanabe Shozaburo

Source:

Typical Price

Koitsu's atmospheric night and temple scenes are his most sought-after subjects. Doi Hangaten first editions (1930s) are the most desirable; Watanabe editions are more common.

Later printings: $500–$1,500
Good lifetime editions: $1,500–$4,000
First editions, night scenes, exceptional condition: $4,000–$12,000

Description

Kashiwara Shrine in Nara Prefecture, built at the legendary site where Emperor Jimmu — Japan's mythological first emperor — performed his enthronement rites, is one of the country's most ancient and spiritually charged sacred sites. The broad forested approach and white-walled shrine buildings appear under Koitsu's soft evening light, the [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) sky suggesting the historical depth and quiet reverence appropriate to such a primordial location. The print participates in the nationalist celebration of Japan's imperial mythology that characterized the 1930s.