Cherry Blossom Viewing
花見
- Date:
- c. 1906
- Medium:
- Color woodblock print
Typical Price
"Cherry Blossom Viewing" (hanami) is a seasonal subject that demonstrates Shoun's versatility beyond his celebrated figure series. The spring theme gives this print broad decorative appeal. Shoun's non-series works are less commonly encountered and typically sell for $600-$1,500 for pre-earthquake editions, with later impressions at $300-$700.
Description
Cherry Blossom Viewing (Hanami), a color woodblock from around 1906, depicts the annual ritual of gathering beneath flowering cherry trees that has defined Japanese spring for centuries. Hanami is both celebration and meditation, the blossoms valued precisely because they fall within days of opening. Shoun renders the scene with the color woodblock's ability to layer delicate pinks over branch structures, surrounding his figures with a canopy of petals. The print captures a specific cultural moment: people arranged beneath the trees, looking upward at blossoms that are simultaneously at their peak and beginning their descent.
