Details

In this rare Sosaku Hanga variant of Red Lantern at Asakusa Temple, Kasamatsu Shiro departs from the familiar, publisher-issued versions of the design to present a deeply introspective and hauntingly atmospheric rendition. Executed and printed by the artist himself in 1953, this impression abandons the saturated color typical of the publisher edition version in favor of muted greys, deep maroons, and the strange luminous warmth of yellow streetlights reflected in a rain-slicked pavement. The result is an expressive meditation on solitude, light, and memory.

A lone figure, cloaked and umbrellaed, stands beneath the monumental red lantern of Kaminarimon gate, facing into the softly glowing corridor of the temple approach. The wet flagstones shimmer with artificial light, each puddle capturing a glint of motion and brightness. Overhead, the heavy lantern looms like a guardian spirit, its red form almost somber in this version—more meditative shrine than decorative spectacle. The print does not shout; it breathes, slowly and thoughtfully, across the surface.

Connoisseur's Note

This impression is a rare and highly evocative example of Kasamatsu Shiro’s engagement with the principles of Sosaku Hanga. Although the artist is best known for his work with publishers like Watanabe and Doi, in the postwar period he began self-printing select designs with markedly different sensibilities. Here, he controls every aspect of the process—carving, inking, and printing—allowing for an individualized expressive quality absent in the commercial editions.

The use of a stripped-down palette—primarily greys, dusky purples, and the yellow gleam of electric light—transforms a familiar landmark into something psychological and poetic. The print hums with the residue of rain and silence. It is less a tourist view than a memory rendered in wood and pigment. For collectors attuned to Sosaku Hanga’s spirit of personal vision, this impression stands as a significant and scarce testament to Kasamatsu’s artistic evolution: a work suspended between documentation and dream, where the city sleeps and reflections speak.