
Sunset
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Image courtesy of
- Ronin Gallery via Ukiyo-e Search
Description
Sunset is among the most technically exacting subjects in woodblock printing, requiring the printmaker to render the full chromatic range of the western sky — from deep crimson and orange at the horizon through amber and violet to the residual blue of the upper sky. Yoshida likely employs multiple overlapping bokashi gradations across a wide sky field, with the color blocks carefully registered to produce smooth tonal transitions. The landscape below — silhouetted trees, water, or terrain — would be rendered in near-black to maximize contrast with the illuminated sky. Reflections of sunset light on water, if included, add a second chromatic field and require additional printing blocks. The oban format common to landscape prints provides horizontal space to extend the sky composition across the full sheet of washi.
More Prints by Tsukasa Yoshida
More Landscapes Prints

Lake Kugushi in Wakasa Province (Wakasa Kugushiko), from the series Souvenirs of Travel I (Tabi miyage dai isshu)"
Wakasa Kugushiko
1920
Color woodblock print; oban

Autumn Maple Leaves at Takao, from the album Eight Views of Kyoto (Kyôto hakkei)
Woodblock print

The Beach at Kaiganji in Sanuki Province (Sanuki Kaiganji no hama), from the series "Collection of Views of Japan II, Kansai Edition (Nihon fukei shu II Kansai hen)"
1934
Color woodblock print; oban

Tea Kettle, section of a sheet from the series "Mirror of Stone Rubbings of Views of the Provinces" (Kohon meihitsu ishizuri kagami)
n.d.
Woodblock print; ishizuri-e, section of harimaze sheet
Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sunset was created by Tsukasa Yoshida (吉田司).
Sunset depicts landscapes and night scenes.



