Prewar Edition Japanese Woodblock Print Honmon-ji Temple Ikegami Kawase Hasui

A pre-war fine print by Kawase Hasui (1883–1957) depicts the approach to the famous temple in Tokyo Ikegami Honmon-ji on a snowy day. Created in 1931, the image captures the serene atmosphere of the temple grounds with a focus on the pathway leading to the front gate of the temple, rather than the temple itself. The fine print of the moody wintery scenery showcases the advanced techniques of Kawase Hasui and the carver. The deep dimensional rendering of the landscape with the forest fading in the shadowy background in contrast with the white snowy foreground dotted with bright kimonos is one of the most impressive among the artist's repertoire. The print was published by Watanabe Shōzaburō, and bear the publisher's type D seal used from 1932-1942.
Signed with a read seal in plate lower right corner. The right lower margin bears type D seal of Watanabe Shōzaburō. Title and date were on the left margin.
Reference:
For a comparable print see lot 203 sold at Christie's Japanese and Korean Art 03/16/2021
Another comparable print bearing the same publisher's seal can be found in the collection of Boston MFA Accession Number 49.400.