Hasui, Kawase (1883 – 1957), “Evening Snow at Terajima Village (Pre-Earthquake)”

Notes: A near pristine example; never framed or displayed. Removed from the original S. Watanabe Color Print Co. studio folder. Printed on deluxe paper (heavier paper stock). A superb pre-earthquake print and one of Hasui's early masterpieces that depict snow. 'A long, gentle slope, two or three dim lights, even the row of houses is interesting. There is a ditch on the opposite side of the road. People seldom walk on the road because of the heavy snow, which here gradually darkens into a light purple. This is the village of Terajima in Mukojima. There are a few telephone poles and lights are just beginning to appear in the houses in the distance. I felt that Kiyomoto school degatari [the appearance on the Kabuki stage of narrative musicians] related to this view, so I began to draw the picture while contemplating a scene from a sewa kyogen [one type of kyogen theatre] by Kawatake Mokuami (1816-93). Mukojima is today part of Tokyo's Sumida ward'. - Hotei Vol. 1; pg. 56-57.