Hasui, Kawase (1883 – 1957), “Snow at Zojoji Temple (Dai-Oban Format)”

Notes: According to Narazaki, 'Hasui was commissioned this snowscape of the Zojo temple in response to the designation of the woodblock print technique as a intangible cultural asset (mukei bunkazai). The block-cutting was undertaken by Sato Jurokichi, then the foremost among all living block-cutters. The printer was Ono Gintaro, who had been studying the woodblock medium with Hasui for over thirty-six years since he printed the artist's debut work, 'Okane Road, Shiobara', Cat. #1] in 1919. Both men devoted a great deal of energy to the production of this work. It is a snowy day: in a lonely, quiet scene, two or three people wait for a train that seems never to come in the background is the vermilion Sanmon [main gate] of the Zojo temple, a symbol of the old Japan. The distinctive technical features include the illustration of the snowflakes, created by repeated over-printing (more than forty times), and the block-cutting of the detailed wooden architectural framework of the multi-stored temple building'. - Hotei Vol. 1; pg. 132-133 This rare 1950s design, is one of the scarcest and highly sought-after images from the final period of Hasui's career.