Kawase Hasui

source: Ronin Gallery website, accessed Aug. 2020]

Born Bunjiro Kawase in Tokyo, Hasui Kawase was the son of a silkbraid merchant. He began his artistic career studying Japanese-style painting with Kiyokata, as well as Western-style at the Hakubakai. His talent was clear, exhibiting in the Tatsumi Exhibition of Painting at age 19. However, soon after seeing Shinsui’s series Eight Views of Lake Biwa, Hasui turned his attention to woodblock printing in 1919. Watanabe was the first to recognize his artistic genius, and Hasui Kawase soon became the most popular artist working for this prestigious publisher. Hasui traveled widely in Japan and his subjects are most frequently landscape themes. The prints are based upon small, quick sketches and watercolors taken from nature. Unfortunately, during the earthquake of 1923, all of his woodblocks and over 200 sketches were destroyed. The works that predate this event are extremely scarce and in great demand today. Undaunted, Hasui continued to produce his landscape prints.

Regarded as a major Japanese landscape artist of the 20th century, Hasui Kawase’s prints are characterized by their serenity of mood and flawless composition.