Dimensions: 14 5/16 × 9 1/2 in. (36.35 × 24.13 cm) (image)23 × 19 × 1 1/2 in. (58.42 × 48.26 × 3.81 cm) (outer frame)
Copyright: No Copyright - United States
Hasui Kawase made this print of the Tōshō Shrine in Ueno, and it feels like a meditation on color, light, and form. The dominant blues and pinks suggest not just a scene, but a mood, right? I imagine Hasui-san, maybe in his studio, thinking about how to capture that feeling of dusk, that in-between time when the light is fading, and everything softens. What was it like for him, deciding where to place the pagoda, how to make the cherry blossoms seem both delicate and abundant? The thin crescent moon must've been a happy accident. And the pagoda itself, rising up, is a marvel of geometry. You can almost feel the artist’s hand as he carved each line, each roof tile, each blossom. I’m thinking about Hokusai and Hiroshige and all the printmakers that came before him. It’s like they’re all having a conversation across time, each adding their own voice.
Comments
The Tosho Shrine (To_shogu), in Tokyo’s Ueno Park, is dedicated to the first Tokugawa shogun, Ieyasu (1543–1616). It affords a good view of the five-storied pagoda of Kan’ei Temple, pictured here, where six of the fifteen shoguns are interred.
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