Shiro Kasamatsu, "Pagoda in Rain, Yanaka"

The 5-tier pagoda at Yanaka in Tokyo was built in the 17th century and was burned down in the 1950s. In this woodblock print by Shiro Kasamatsu a woman in a kimono is shown walking past the pagoda on a rainy evening. Beautifully printed with pink hues in the sky above.

Date: 1932
Size: Oban
Published by Watanabe Shozaburo
Early edition (6mm seal)
Condition: Small print spot in sky, otherwise fine color and condition
Frame Shown: 16" x 24" x 1/2", Classic Wood, Ebony

Shiro Kasamatsu (1898-1991) began his artistic career during the shin-hanga period and would go on to produce some of Japan's most recognizable woodblock prints. Starting in second-half of the 20th century, Shiro would go on to carve, print, and publish his own prints, making him an influential artist in the sosaku-hanga movement as well.