Details

The foreground pool, rendered in jet-black silence, holds the inverted image of reeds and stone lantern like a sutra written on water. Above, the temple steps and fluted doors of the Phoenix Hall suggest a permanence grounded in centuries of spiritual resonance. This is no mere architectural view, but a meditation carved in light and shadow, balance and void.

A master of monochrome expression, Unichi Hiratsuka distills the visual world into the essential—texture, pattern, rhythm. The waves of the raked gravel radiate in gentle spirals around the lantern base, creating a visual breath that spreads outward from stillness. Sharp chisel cuts define the structure’s grain and gravity, yet within the black-and-white austerity, there lies profound warmth. The eye rests where ink yields to absence; form arises from restraint.

Connoisseur's Note

This impression is a rare, standalone example of Lakeside at Byodo-in, originally conceived and produced for the landmark 1960 publication The Modern Japanese Print: An Appreciation by James Michener. While collectors often pursue the full book—containing signed and numbered prints—this impression was made for the Japanese domestic consumption and, as such, bears neither pencil signature nor an edition number in the margin.

For connoisseurs of Sōsaku-Hanga, where the artist assumes the full creative process—design, carving, and printing—this piece offers a direct encounter with Hiratsuka’s singular hand. It stands as both masterwork and meditation, a chance to acquire the soul of the book without its full burden—a temple scene pared to its essence, reverent, refined, and deeply rare.