About This Print
Catalogue Raisonné Entry
Source: Kawase Hasui; The Complete Woodblock Prints, Kendall Brown, Amy Reigle Newland, Amsterdam, Hotei Publishing, KIT Publishers, 2003, p. 98.According to Narazaki1, "Following WWII, the row of houses in the Sōemon district changed so much that the atmosphere and richness in sentiment as seen in this picture has long disappeared. The image recall the jōruri (narrative musical form accompanied by the shamisen) of the playwright Chikamatsu Monzaemon (1653-1724): paper lanterns hang under the eaves, burning quietly at dusk, the shadows of the lights cast by wickets upon the street make the surrounding darkness more profound. The composition of the row houses, the couple walking together, two kamuro (attendants to a courtesan) and the shadow of the figure in the distance are exceptional. The block-cutting was done by Watanabe Tadasu."
1 Narazaki Muneshige, Hasui's biographer and compiler of the artist's first catalogue raisoneeé Kawase Hasui mokuhanga shu, Mainichi Shinbun, Tokyo, 1979.
EVENING, SOEMON STREET, OSAKA (Osaka Soemon-cho no Yube)
Night scene in a tea-house district. 14 3/8” x 9 1/2”. Signed, Hasui; red seal, decorative form only. Lower margin: the Japanese title; and the date, “Showa Hachi Nen Shi Gatsu Saku” (Made in the 4th Month of the 8th Year of Showa [April 1933]). Two characters following the date are not included in the above reading. Right margin: copyright stamp of the publisher, Watanabe of Tokyo. Blocks 20; superimposed printings, 25; edition, 200.
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 Catalogue Raisonné
image and entry 318 Evening at Sōemon-chō, Osaka Series: Collection of scenic views of Japan II, Kansai edition (Nihon fūkei shū II Kansai hen Ōsaka Sōemon-chō no yū) Work of April 1933 Hasui signature with Kawase Seal Block-cutter: Watanabe Tadasu (unnamed on print) Publisher: Watanabe Shozaburo (Seal D) |
Catalogue Entry from The Toledo Art Museum Show 1936
Source: Modern Japanese Prints, Dorothy Blair, The Toledo Art Museum 1997 (Printed from a photographic reproduction of two exhibition catalogues of modern Japanese prints published by The Toledo Museum of Art in 1930 and 1936)EVENING, SOEMON STREET, OSAKA (Osaka Soemon-cho no Yube)
Night scene in a tea-house district. 14 3/8” x 9 1/2”. Signed, Hasui; red seal, decorative form only. Lower margin: the Japanese title; and the date, “Showa Hachi Nen Shi Gatsu Saku” (Made in the 4th Month of the 8th Year of Showa [April 1933]). Two characters following the date are not included in the above reading. Right margin: copyright stamp of the publisher, Watanabe of Tokyo. Blocks 20; superimposed printings, 25; edition, 200.
Print Details
| IHL Catalog | #558 |
| Title | Evening at Sōemon-chō, Osaka 大坂宗右衛門町の夕 Ōsaka Sōemon-chō no yū |
| Series | Collection of Scenic Views of Japan II, Kansai edition 日本風景集 関西篇 Nihon fūkei shū II Kansai hen |
| Catalogue Raisonné | Number 318 (as listed in the Kawase Hasui; The Complete Woodblock Prints) |
| Artist |
Kawase Hasui (1883-1957) |
| Signature |
Hasui |
| Seal | Kawase |
| Publication Date | April 1933 (original publication) |
| Edition | Later edition with publishers 6mm round, seal "A"-type, lower left corner. (For a full discussion of Watanabe publisher seals see "Watanabe Publisher Marks, Seals and Editions") |
| Publisher | Watanabe Shōzaburō Watanabe "A"-type seal (in use from approximately 1918-1924 and 1945-1957) reading (in Katakana): ワタナベ Watanabe Shōzaburō |
| Impression | excellent |
| Colors | excellent |
| Condition | good - slight toning and small tear bottom margin 1/2" into print repaired from back |
| Miscellaneous | "Evening at Soemon-cho Osaka" and "Hasui Kawase" are written in pencil in English script in the lower right-hand margin. This was typically done by an employee of Watanabe Publishing and not by the artist. |
| Genre | shin hanga (new prints); fûkei-ga |
| Format | Oban tate-e |
| H x W Paper | 15 3/4 x 10 5/8 in. (40.0 x 27.0 cm) |
| H x W Image | 14 3/8 x 9 1/2 x in. (36.5 x 24.1 cm) |
| Collections This Print | Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 50.2483 (6mm seal lower left corner); Jordon Schnitzer Museum of Art, University of Oregon MWJ51:K17 (Type E seal, lower right margin) |
| Reference Literature | Catalogue Raisonné: Kawase Hasui; The Complete Woodblock Prints, Kendall Brown, Amy Reigle Newland, Hotei Publishing, KIT Publishers, 2003, p.450, pl.318. |
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