Details

A cliff separates and elevates this tanzaku composition toward the full moon as it illuminates the cloudy sky and calm sea below. The cottage perched on top of the cliff is the perfect vista to observe this idyllic scene.

 A master of prints executed in formats other than oban, Hiroaki’s design is skillfully drafted to accentuate the long, narrow tanzaku format. It is interesting to compare this design to “Tokumochi in Starry Night,” c. 1936.. The subject appears quite similar but the shorter, squatter chuban format is accentuated by the composition’s central focus on the cottage and the stairs at the lower center of the design.

Connoisseur's Note

This woodblock print was produced by the S. Watanabe Color Print Company and was acquired by Robert O. Muller, the famed Shin Hanga collector, on his trip to Japan in the late 30s, and has never been framed or displayed. The print’s colors and condition are a testimony to the care it received.

This impression is also noteworthy for its subtle printing effects such as the wood grain visible in the sky, the subtle bokashi, or color gradation, found throughout but particularly striking in the yellow light above the mountain range and in the reflections in the sea below.