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 - Lovely view of Shinobazu Pond on a rainy evening, with a single figure in silhouette beneath an umbrella walking along the path that leads to the island in the center of the pond. Reflections of the warm yellow streetlights shimmer on the watery pavement, and the sky is shaded with violet and gray as a soft rain falls. An evocative, romantic image in a beautiful muted color palette that is one of Shiro's most popular designs.

Signed - Shiro, with red "Kasamatsu" artist's seal
Publisher - Watanabe, with 6 mm seal at lower right, in use 1946 - 1957

Artist - Shiro Kasamatsu (1898 - 1991)

Image Size - 14 1/4" x 9 1/2" + margins as shown

Condition - This print with excellent color and detail as shown. Slight toning, a few small marks in margins, a couple light creases at edges. Please see photos for details.