Shinto Shrine of Kasuga at Nara — 奈良春日神社
by Kawase Hasui (1883-1957)

	Artist:	Kawase Hasui (1883-1957) — 川瀬巴水
	Title:	Shinto Shrine of Kasuga at Nara — 奈良春日神社
	Series:
	Date of first edition?:	1933
	Publisher (first edition)?:	Shimbi Shoin
	Publisher (this edition)?:	Shimbi Shoin
	Medium (first edition):	Woodblock
	Medium (this edition):	Woodblock
	Format (first edition):	Oban
	Format (this edition):	Oban
	DB artwork code:	41699
	Notes (first edition)?:	Artist Kawase Hasui Title Kasuga Shrine in Snow Medium Original Japanese Woodblock Print Edition 1st and only Date C. 1930's Publisher Shimbishoin Reference No Hotei #317A; pg. 450 Size 13 -1/2 x 9 " (Print) 15 -1/2 x 10 -1/2 " (Calendar) Notes: One of only several known examples of the "Kasuga Shrine in Snow, Nara", published for the Japanese Government Railways - Board of Tourist Industry. This example comes attached to it's original mount and label on the reverse. This largely "unknown" Hasui print, was not listed in the comprehensive 1979 catalogue raisonné of Hasui. Notes 2: To collectors of Japanese woodblock prints by the artist KAWASE Hasui, the striking 1933 summertime image titled "Kasuga Shrine at Nara" ("Nara Kasuga Jinsha") published by Watanabe Publisher is quite well known (Narazaki #222). As such, it is among the handful of highly sought-after "red temple images" coveted by these collectors (see below, right). Much rarer, however, is the seemingly undocumented and very seldom seen "look-alike" print published by Shimbi Shoin Publisher (below, left) titled "Shinto Shrine of Kasuga at Nara" (ca1933-35). So apparently rare is this largely "unknown" Hasui print, that it is NOT listed in the comprensive 1979 catalogue raisonn・of Hasui's works, the "Narazaki reference," titled in Japanese as "Kawase Hasui Mokuhangashu" ("The Complete Works of Kawase Hasui").
	Notes (this edition)?:	The following information was taken from the original web listing of this artwork. Note that there may be some inaccuracies: Saturday, 14 March 2009 KAWASE HASUI Front Gate of Kasuga Shrine at Nara Date: 1936 Size: 9.5" x 14" Condition: VG, some creasing to presentation board (not on the print), calendar cover is detached, mounted on original presentation board Impression: VG Color: VG Documentation: Kawase Hasui -- The Complete Woodblock Prints, Hotei, 2003, page 450 print #H-317-A The following is paraphrased from an article posted on ukiyoe-gallery.com and is used with the kind permission of the author. For collectors of prints by the twentieth century Japanese woodblock artist Kawase Hasui, the 1933 image titled Kasuga Shrine at Nara, and published by Watanabe, is a well known masterpiece. As such, it is among a handful of highly sought-after "red temple" images coveted by collectors. Much more rare, however, is the look-alike print published by Shimbi Shoin between 1933 and 1936 (at auction here) titled Front Gate of Kasuga Shrine at Nara. Althought this "Winter Kasuga" bears no title, date, or any publisher's identification directly on it, we know from a label attached to the back of its presentation board, that it was commissioned by the Japanese Government Railways and printed by the Tokyo publisher Shimbi Shoin. Also interesting for collectors is that this quite rare Hasui print does not bear the usual Hasui signature and seal combination (the large red circle with 3 tear-drops inside, with Hasui's signature above in black). Instead, Hasui used a tiny, rather unusual red oval "Ha-Sui" seal to identify himself. This horizonatal format red oval seal is similar to the vertical-format red oval "Ha-Sui" seal seen on Watanabe-published postcard-size prints.
	Artist Bio:	川瀬 巴水。1883年（明治16年）5月18日 - 1957年（昭和32年）11月7 日）。大正・昭和期の浮世絵師、版画家。1918年 （大正7年）、風景画家として世に出る。以後、数多くの木版画を発表。 衰退した日本の浮世絵版画を復興すべく吉田博らとともに新しい浮世絵版画の叙情的世界に、自然に肉薄する近代人の視点を導入することにより、独自の世界を展開した。享年74歳。