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Shinto Torii Gate
by Tomoe (Shotei Takahashi copy by Watanabe)

Original caretaker of this artwork: John Mason

	Artist:	Tomoe (Shotei Takahashi copy by Watanabe) — ともゑ
	Title:	Shinto Torii Gate (given title; official title unknown)
	Series:
	Date of first edition?:	circa 1950-1980
	Publisher (first edition)?:	Watanabe — 渡辺
	Publisher (this edition)?:	Watanabe — 渡辺
	Medium (first edition):	Woodblock
	Medium (this edition):	Woodblock
	Format (first edition):	Postcard
	Format (this edition):	Postcard
	DB artwork code:	45735
	Notes (first edition)?:
	Notes (this edition)?:	The following information was taken from the original web listing of this artwork. Note that there may be some inaccuracies: Shinto Torii Gate in Snow by Kawase Hasui. Original Japanese woodblock print circa 1930s. Fine condition and impression. This print has never been framed. 6.3 x 3.8 inches. This print is made on silk and backed by thin washi. Red Tomoe Hasui seal in lower left of image. Exceedingly rare. I cannot find this print documented in any source including "Kawase Hasui The complete Woodblock Prints".
	Artist Bio:	Many of the prints signed "Tomoe" are clearly scenes by Takahashi Shotei and were sold by Watanabe from around the 1960s. Unusually, Watanabe Shoichiro, in an email reply to a colleague around 2008, stated that the prints are by Kawase Hasui: see the following email: ######################### Dear Al, Thank you very much for your email and enquires. The artist of the post card sized prints is Kawase Hasui. The seal is sounded "Tomoe (a Whirl)". Tomoe is the meaning of "Ha". On the other hand, "Sui" means "Mizu (Water)". He sometimes used "Tomoe" as his artist name for some small sized prints, instead of "Hasui". I hope this information is available for your enquiry. Sincerely, Shoichiro Watanabe ######################### What Shoichiro is suggesting here is that "Tomo" is a reading for Hasui's first kanji "巴", and "e" (in Tomo-e) is a reading for "画" meaning brush-stroke; picture. Thus, Tomoe means "painted by Hasui". My guess here is that Watanabe Tadasu, the second owner of Watanabe Woodblock Prints, decided to sell the postcards as being by the more famous Hasui, rather than by the lesser-known Takahashi Shotei, to increase sales.