Hatakudari Hotsprings in Shiobara
Artist: Kawase Hasui
Name: Hatakudari Hotsprings in Shiobara
Date: 1918
Description: Monday, 10 September 2007 An extremely rare print! This is an original authentic pre Kanto earthquake Kawase Hasui woodblock print! Titled ” Hataori, Shiobara”. Depicting the Hataori spa in the driving rain. Hataori is on the way from Shiobara to Monzen along the Hoki river. Through the driving rain the Yoshii waterfall can be seen in the distance. This the second woodblock that Hasui produced and was published by Watanabe. Date: Autumn 1918. These woodblocks were destroyed in the great Kanto earthquake of Sept. 1st 1923 in which Tokyo, Yokohama, and surrounding areas were destroyed and approx: 140,000. Japanese perished in the quake and ensuing fires. Since the original blocks were destroyed the total number of these prints is very, very limited. Finding this print is hard enough. Finding one in this condition is nearly impossible! This print is for a lack of a better term “Pristine”. With the exception of two small dots of original backing adhesive on the top left and right corners, as well as two small finger prints at the bottom both on the back, this print is flawless! This is from my personal collection. I originally obtained it from the estate of a professor of art in Yucaipa Calif. On the last day of moving things out of the home I noticed it behind the front door where the family told me it had been since he had lived there. Due to the fact that the front door was always open, it was always in the dark ,and was never exposed to light. As a result the colors are fantastic! Registration is very sharp! and the entire print is as close to the day it was printed as you will ever find! Print measures approx: 18 5/8″ x 7 1/4″ overall (Nagaban).