The Quiet Elegance and Enduring Influence of the Japanese Print Masters

Highlights from Fine Japanese Prints

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  Katsushika Hokusai (favourite)
  Hongan-ji Temple at Asakusa in Edo (Toto Asakusa hongan-ji)
  Edo Period, 19th Century

  Hokusai was revered for his iconic series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji of which this serene and yet complex woodblock print is one of the most impressive examples. As with many of his peers, he was forever intrigued by the power and symbolism of Mount Fuji, which played an important role in many of his masterpieces. The temple beneath was owned by Kyoto Higashi Honganji and was the base of the religious sect Buddhism’s Eastern School of the Pure Land (Jödo). These particular temples are a recurring motif across this sale with Kawase Hasui also depicting one in a later work. Its roof with its decorative architectural detail mirrors the shape of Mount Fuji and reflects the prominence of the religious sect. Our eye is then drawn to the sea of numerous rooftops in the bustling area of Edo known as Asakusa. They are partly obscured by swirling clouds that demonstrate his skill as a draughtsman and divide the picture plane. A kite rather poetically dances in the wind, which not only implies a time of celebration, but also that it is winter, with weather strong enough to keep it in the air. There is a sense of movement even though we cannot see anyone walking on the streets. The use of monochromatic Prussian blue means this is known an aizuri-e, because it was created only with a blue colour palette. Hokusai’s Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji series is one of the best examples of this – as was the work of Hiroshige. That blue was thought to have arrived with Dutch smugglers during the Edo period of seclusion and hugely inspired the leading printmakers.
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  Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849)
  Old View of the Pontoon Bridge at Sano in Kozuke Province (Kozuke Sano funabashi no kozu)
  Edo period, 19th century

  This print is from Hokusai’s lesser-known, but equally compelling series Remarkable Views of Bridges in Various Provinces (Shokoku meikyō kiran). A geometric composition is interrupted by the curve of an unfamiliar and yet traditional style of Japanese bridge known as funabashi, which has been constructed with lines of boats aligned with one another to support the weight of those traversing it. The perilous weather conditions – which were often dramatised for the enjoyment of collectors of ukiyo-e – are masterfully illustrated by icy waves lapping threateningly against its structure. Although the location exists in northeastern Japan, the bridge was no longer there in the lifetime of Hokusai and he would have most likely read about it in ancient poetry. There is an assumption that following the Edo period as western developments began to modernise Japan, there were many creatives who instead chose to look back and appreciate more traditional ways of life. Claude Monet collected twenty-three woodblock prints by Hokusai and parallels have been drawn between his own work and that of the Japanese master that he admired from afar. The current exhibition Monet-Mitchell at Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris reflects the extent to which he was inspired by the subdued colour palettes and emphasis on nature in woodblock prints
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  Kawase Hasui (1883-1957)
  Honmon-ji Temple in Ikegami (Ikegami Honmon-ji)
  Showa period, 20th century

  Towards the end of Hasui’s life the Japanese government declared him to be a Living National Treasure in recognition of his contribution to the longevity and beauty of his woodblock prints. Even if the season differs, the sense of a journey and rather poetic footsteps in the snow captured or imagined by this woodblock print reminds me of the meditative photographic series Spring Beauty of Kyoto, 1925-9, by the photographer Okamoto Tōyō who lived and worked in Japan at the same time as Hasui in a period of industrial development and modernisation following the end of the Edo period. Nonetheless, they both chose to focus on nature and devote their practice to more contemplative subject matter. The folding concertina album devised by Tōyō is currently on display within the Japan: Courts and Culture exhibition. This depiction of a Honmon-ji Temple is comparative to the aforementioned Hongan-ji Temple at Asakusa in Edo (Toto Asakusa hongan-ji) by Hokusai, which is a reminder of the proximity of these masters of woodblock prints. Here, there is no wind, but instead a palpability as if the onlooker is themselves walking through a blizzard.
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  Kawase Hasui (1883-1957)
  Evening Snow, Edogawa River (Kure no yuki, Edogawa)
  Showa period, 20th century

  Hasui was one of Japan’s most prolific printmakers who mostly focused on landscapes and rather fittingly for this upcoming mid-December auction, snowscapes in particular. He was mentored by the masterful Kiyokata Kaburagi as he studied ukiyo-e. For me, this scene evokes the Nobel Prize in Literature winning novel Snow Country by the eloquent Japanese author Yasunari Kawabata. He captures the serenity and complexity of a defining period in history. The scene is framed by the branches of the snow covered tree, which invites the eye to follow the shape of the bridge and focus on the two geishas crossing it. The subtle textures of the womens' elegant kimonos are just visible from afar. There is a quiet elegance to their promenade as nightfall approaches, which evokes a curiosity from the onlooker. Interestingly, a similar impression is held within the permanent collection of the respected Honolulu Museum of Art with its relative proximity to Japan.
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  Utagawa Hiroshige (1797 - 1858)
  The Sea off Satta in Suruga Province (Suruga Satta Kaijo)
  Edo period, 19th century

  The symbolic wave is from Hiroshige’s iconic and expertly crafted series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fuji sanjurokkei). Over the course of his lifetime, Claude Monet, a devoted collector of Japanese woodblock prints, collected forty-eight of those created by Hiroshige whose techniques he was said to have emulated in his own experimentations. This illustrates the cross-cultural dialogue between Japan and Europe that existed in the years when travel resumed. The recurring image of the crest of a wave in woodblock prints was often said to be symbolic of a change occurring in Japanese society as they moved beyond the Edo period of seclusion and embraced western developments and industrialisation. Comparisons have inevitably been drawn between this and the clever use of perspective in The Great Wave off Kanagawa, 1831 by Hokusai, but this differs as Mount Fuji is less diminutive within the context of the verdant landscape beyond. The recent Hokusai exhibition The Great Picture Book of Everything at The British Museum, inspired a revived interest in the wave motif in Japanese woodblock prints with a particular focus on its title work that has often been reflected in popular culture across literature, film as well as the work of contemporary artist.
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  Utagawa Hiroshige (1797 - 1858)
  Meguro Drum Bridge and Sunset Hill (Meguro Taikobashi Yuhinooka)
  Edo Period, 19th century

  This iconic woodblock print hails from Hiroshige’s well-known series One Hundred Views of Famous Places of Edo (Edo Meisho Hyakkei) which renders idyllic Japanese landscapes. The aforementioned vivid Prussian blues of this aizuri-e print are particularly powerful when set against the eery backdrop of the blackness of nightfall. The valley of the Meguro River and Yuhi Hill is an exquisite landscape rendered more beguiling by the silhouette of the heavy snowfall against the sky. The recurring motif of travellers shielding themselves with parasols is one that unifies many of the evocative snowscapes within the sale. The decided emphasis on snowscapes across the sale emphasises the influence of Japanese woodblock prints on French impressionism. However, the outline of the snowy landscape against the dark night sky is reminiscent of contemporary Japanese photographs by Hiroshi Sugimoto whose recent exhibitions with Marian Goodman Gallery and Château la Coste have been met with critical acclaim. His nuanced and subtle use of shadow and silhouette in creating evocative photographs has rapidly defined him as one of most influential photographers of our time. The ease with which connection is found between Japanese woodblock prints and contemporary art is testament to their profound beauty. There are similar impressionisms of this masterwork within the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.