Details

Kawase Hasui (1883–1957) was a leading figure in the Shin Hanga movement, renowned for his skillful woodblock prints of landscapes and scenes from nature. Working in close collaboration with the influential publisher Shozaburo Watanabe, Hasui aimed to preserve the elegance and beauty of Japanese prints while creating designs that bridge the gap between the traditional Ukiyo-e style and the modern era. Watanabe, the founder of the Shin Hanga movement, was instrumental in the revival of woodblock printing in the early 20th century and produced the vast majority of Hasui’s prints. Hasui’s subjects often included tranquil cityscapes or serene rural settings with seasonal attributions that particularly paid attention to atmospheric conditions and the play of light. Hasui’s work is celebrated for its sense of calm, capturing the essence of a moment in time with subtlety and precision. His snow scenes, in particular, are highly regarded for their ability to convey the serene beauty of winter and the emotional atmosphere of the season.

This watercolor by Hasui, titled Nishimikawazaka, exemplifies his mastery of snow scenes, a subject for which he is most famous. This work represents the artist’s original watercolor design, which would later be transformed into a woodblock print. In the Shin Hanga collaborative system, Hasui would create the design, typically in watercolor, which would then be refined by Watanabe and sent to woodblock artisans for carving and printing. In this watercolor, the design is nearly identical to the final print, with the exception of the absence of a tree on the lower left (as illustrated below), that is featured in the original. This small alteration highlights Watanabe’s influence in editing the artist’s design to ensure it was successful. Aesthetically, the composition’s gentle blending of cool blues and whites captures the quiet, almost ethereal beauty of the snow-covered coastline, while the soft gradations of color and atmospheric perspective demonstrate Hasui’s skill in evoking the feeling of snowfall. This difference between the watercolor and the final print illustrates the printmaking process and reveals the publisher's role in shaping the final work.

Connoisseur's Note

This rare original watercolor by Kawase Hasui is an exceptional example of his ability to evoke mood and atmosphere through his landscapes. Though the watercolor is nearly identical to the finished design, with the exception of the missing tree along the coastline at the lower left, it possesses a unique, serene, and deeply contemplative quality. The strong atmospheric effects in the work are strikingly more pronounced than in the finished print, providing the viewer with the rare experience of feeling the subtle shift in light and the quiet presence of nature, caused by the direct hand of the artist.

This exceedingly rare original is among a few surviving pre-earthquake watercolors by Hasui, making it a significant piece in the context of his oeuvre. It offers collectors a rare glimpse into Hasui’s creative process and his mastery of capturing the emotional essence of nature. This work is illustrated in the publication, Water and Shadow: Kawase Hasui and Japanese Landscape Prints.