Details

This complete set of four prints was commissioned by the Fujiya Hotel, in Miyanoshita in Hakone, Kanagawa. The designs feature an aerial view of the hotel complex at differing times of day and season. Kawase Hasui prints very rarely provide hints to the exact timeframe when they were produced. Given that, it is interesting to note the U.S. flag flown in two of the four designs, as the artist executed this suite of prints during the post-war Allied occupation of Japan.

Connoisseur's Note

This print set is an extraordinary achievement for Hasui. In essence, the subject is the same but each print varies in that they illustrate differing times of day with a seasonal attribution. These four prints share a basic woodblock matrix of the design with additional blocks that add the snow, U.S. flag, clouds, people, and the differences in light and color. Hiroshi Yoshida’s Sailboat series comes to mind when considering this set. However, Hasui goes substantially further by adding variations that required additional blocks that slightly alter the composition, as we have noted. In Hasui’s vast body of work, this is the only instance where the artist produced such a nuanced and complicated grouping. This rarely seen set is a must have for the serious Hasui collector.