Artist: Kawase Hasui
Medium: Original Japanese Woodblock Print
Series Title: Rain
Edition: S. Watanabe Lifetime Edition - 6mm Circular Seal
Date: (1932)
Publisher: S. Watanabe Color Print Co.
Reference No.: Hotei #284
Size: 10 -1/2 x 15 -1/2 "
Condition: Very fine
Notes:
Lifetime edition (circular 6mm seal) prints were strictly used on impressions produced between 1946 and 1957 and were also personally supervised and/or authorized by Hasui. These editions are far more affordable options for the everyday collector, created using the original woodblocks by the S. Watanabe Color Print Co.
A lone, solitary female figure battles the elements on the historic Imai Bridge. Buffeted by severe wind and rain coming in at a sharp diagonal angle, she leans directly into the storm while gripping a bright yellow umbrella. The work is considered a quintessential masterpiece of the shin-hanga movement, demonstrating Hasui's brilliant ability to capture atmospheric weather conditions, light, and transient emotional moods.