TOKYO — “If you were to ask me what I’m fond of, I would answer ‘travel’ right away.” Such were the words of 20th century woodblock print artist Kawase Hasui, who captured everyday landscapes across Japan. Though his works have been likened to those of Edo ukiyo-e master Utagawa Hiroshige, the subjects and methods of his prints also departed from tradition, sometimes in bold ways. An ongoing exhibit in Tokyo allows visitors to trace the footsteps of the traveling artist.
“Kawase Hasui: Travel and nostalgic landscape” is currently being held at the Sompo Museum of Art in Tokyo’s Shinjuku area until Dec. 26. Also known as a “poet with the spirit of a traveler,” Hasui sketched landscapes of every season, as well as ordinary scenes and people he encountered during his trips that spanned from Japan’s northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido to the Kyushu region in the country’s southwest. The current exhibit showcases some 280 of the more than 600 works produced by the prolific artist during his lifetime.
“Mishima River, Mutsu Province,” from the series Souvenirs of Travel I — Hasui’s first series of works based on his travels in Japan — portrays a night scene in a northern Japan area which is now Aomori Prefecture. The print shows the backs of what appears to be a mother and a child filling barrels with water, and a woman balancing a carrying pole on her shoulder in the foreground. Natural elements, including bodies of water and the moon, which appear frequently in the artist’s works, were already used in this early piece, and Hasui was quoted as saying he was interested in “the peculiar buildings imbued with a rich local color.”
Hasui also depicted anonymous views of his hometown Tokyo, and is said to have chosen casual everyday scenes for his sketches based on his own preferences, in addition to famous locales. In “Komagata Embankment,” from the series Twelve Scenes of Tokyo, a laborer is seen taking a brief nap atop a wagon at a riverside bamboo storage site. A store logo can be seen on the workman’s “hanten” coat, and through a small opening between the bamboo, viewers can catch a glimpse of a town on the other side of the river, with clouds against a blue sky. Hasui himself also said that watching this scene of “a horse standing languorously beside a napping wagon driver truly evoked a feeling of summer.”
“Dusk at Kiba,” from the same series, shows another type of worker that operates rafts at a lumberyard crossing a bridge to go home. The print captures the moment a blue sky gradually turns a beautiful shade of pink and red on an evening in early winter.
Hasui is often compared to Edo ukiyo-e painter Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) for his depictions of sites encountered through travel. Hasui embarked on a trip to work on a series depicting areas along the Tokaido Road, which connected Edo, or present-day Tokyo, and Kyoto. This endeavor had already been carried out by Hiroshige, who is known for the “Tokaido Gojusantsugi” (Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido) series portraying famous views along the same route. While the Edo painter depicted post stations bustling with people, Hasui chose to wander along the route and sketch places he found comfort in. In “Okitsu-cho, Suruga Province,” clothes are hung out to dry on a line, showing a casual snapshot of everyday life in a holiday home in a central Japan area, now part of Shizuoka Prefecture. Hasui said that it was in “the quiet” and “the forlorn” that he found elegance, and apparently did not see himself as following in Hiroshige’s footsteps.
The works of Hasui, who earned the moniker “Hiroshige of the Showa era,” are also said to resemble Hiroshige’s works in terms of stylistic methods. One such work is the masterpiece “Zojoji Temple, Shiba,” from the series Twenty Views of Tokyo, which is marked by the contrasting elements of the red temple building and the white snow — a combination also seen in a piece by Hiroshige.
However, Hasui also took new and experimental stylistic approaches, which can already be observed in one of his earliest woodblock print works, “Okane Road, Shiobara,” which depicts the area surrounding his aunt’s house in present-day Tochigi Prefecture. The work deliberately shows the circular traces left by the “baren” rubbing pad used during the printing process. Though leaving such traces was considered a mark of incompetence and shunned in traditional ukiyo-e, Hasui’s works utilized them as one form of expression.
The series Twelve Months of Tokyo features prints in unconventional circular and square forms. One work from the series, “Evening Snow at the Sanjikken Canal,” was brought to completion through the collaboration of the painter Hasui, the “horishi” craftsman who carved woodblocks based on Hasui’s sketches, and the “surishi” craftsman who printed the colors onto paper using these woodblocks.
In an attempt to achieve a more realistic depiction, Hasui used lines to express snow, in place of dots, which had been commonly used in earlier ukiyo-e and woodblock print works. The “horishi” was entrusted with the significant role of scratching carved sections on the woodblock with a scrubbing brush to make them choppy, thereby creating the impression of a snowstorm. While the integration of multiple craftsmen’s skills was a traditional woodblock print technique that Hasui and others were aiming to revive as part of the “shin-hanga” (new prints) movement, the craftsmen worked together to try experimental techniques.
Though Hasui’s works were mainly based on his travels within Japan, the prints themselves crossed over to the United States and other countries. They even found their way into the collection of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who selected works of a hot spring and Mount Fuji, as well as a casual scene in late autumn.
The 1920 series The Mitsubishi Villa in Fukagawa, which depicted the Tokyo estate comprising both Western-style and Japanese-style buildings and gardens, was sent to the overseas affiliated parties of the company Mitsubishi.
Hasui also worked on making prints for calendars to be distributed in the United States by Pacific Transport Lines. The romanized spelling of his name “Hasui Kawase” was included outside the frame, along with each work’s English title. While popular tourist spots, such as the island of Enoshima and Lake Towada, were used for some months, others portrayed nameless rural landscapes, including a bamboo forest along the Tama River in east Japan. Hasui felt in his later years that his works had earned the status as “sketch-based prints that are neither Japanese nor Western paintings.”
It seems that international audiences, too, loved Hasui’s works as they depicted pastoral and everyday landscapes. Sompo Museum of Art Chief Curator Hitoshi Egawa said, “Hasui’s works join Japan’s traditional woodblock print techniques with the artist’s solid sketches and lyrical sensibility, bringing about a level of perfection that resonates with a global audience.”
Those who visit the exhibit can surely enjoy the spots traversed by the woodblock print artist whose works have captivated fans around the world.
(By Chinami Takeichi, The Mainichi Staff Writer)
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The museum’s promotional videos for the exhibit, which contain English subtitles, can be viewed via the following links:
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The “Kawase Hasui: Travel and nostalgic landscape” exhibition, co-hosted by The Mainichi Newspapers Co., is being held until Dec. 26, with the first half ending on Nov. 14.
The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, excluding Mondays. The museum will also be closed on Nov. 16, prior to the exhibit’s second leg starting the next day. There are some English descriptions set up throughout the exhibit. Some works, including the “Okitsu-cho, Suruga Province,” from the series “Selected Views of the Tokaido Road” are only on display during the exhibit’s first half.
The admission fee for adults costs 1,300 yen for online tickets, and 1,500 yen for tickets purchased at the door. Children of high-school age and under can enter free of charge.
All visitors are required to make online reservations in advance, and tickets will only be available for purchase at the door when there are vacancies for each time slot.
More information on the exhibit can be found on the museum’s official website at https://www.sompo-museum.org/en/exhibitions/2020/kawasehasui/ (in English) and at https://www.sompo-museum.org/exhibitions/2020/kawasehasui/ (in Japanese).
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The Mainichi is offering complimentary tickets to this exhibit to 5 pairs of people (10 people) residing in Japan. In order to apply for a ticket, on a postcard, please write “Hasui ticket” and enter your full name, address with post code, phone number, and email, and send it to: The Mainichi Editorial Office, 1-1-1, Hitotsubashi, Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo 100-8051. Entries must be postmarked by Nov. 19, 2021. Should the number of applicants exceed five, we will have a draw. Winners will be mailed the tickets, which are valid on any day the exhibit is open, until Dec. 26, 2021. Online reservations are separately needed to enter the venue.