Details

The night has grown old, and revelers depart from restaurants and bars to make their way home. The path is illuminated with paper lanterns and light that spills out from the local establishments. The charm of this design is the quiet, contemplative feeling Hasui provides the viewer despite the movement of the figures. The people on this path seem lost in thought; perhaps they are considering the evening’s festivities and longing for yet a moment more of the night.

Connoisseur's Note

The printing effects on this impression are impressive—there are circular barren marks throughout the design that provide this impression a soft atmospheric quality, which echo the overall contemplative mood. The colors are printed with great care and depth—dozens of impressions were utilized to create such a sense of depth, as some areas are printed with thicker applications of pigment while others have a lighter more lustrous quality.

It is also interesting to note this impression has a rarely seen seal attributing the carving and printing to Tadasu Watanabe. See close-up below. The notations in the margins are done in the same ink as the seals.