Shiro - Born in Tokyo, Shiro Kasamatsu began studying art at a young age with the painter Kaburagi Kiyokata. He completed his first woodblock designs for Watanabe Shozaburo in 1919 after the publisher saw his paintings on exhibit. Shiro designed shin-hanga prints for Watanabe for many years, becoming well known for his romantic landscapes of famous landmarks and his scenes of traditional Japanese life. From 1952 to 1960, he created more than one hundred woodblock designs for the Kyoto publisher Unsodo. He also experimented with sosaku hanga or creative prints starting in the late 1950s, carving and printing his own designs. Shiro is regarded as one of the top shin-hanga woodblock print artists in Japan.

Comments - Intriguing night scene of a house atop a stone embankment at Aterazawa. Warm yellow light glows from a single window as farmers make their way down the steps at left, carrying heavy loads on their backs. Moonlight plays across the leaves of the tree at right, and mountains covered with pines fill the background, creating an interesting, rhythmic pattern. A great shin-hanga design, one we've never before offered.

Signed - Shiro with red artist's seal, Shiro Kasamatsu in English in bottom margin (with chop)
Publisher - Unsodo, with publisher's seal in left margin, later edition

Artist - Shiro Kasamatsu (1898 - 1991)

Image Size - 14 3/8" x 9 5/8" + margins as shown

Condition - Excellent overall with no issues to report.