Back to gallery
Spring Evening at the Kintai Bridge

Art Appreciation

This evocative woodblock print captures a serene spring evening at the iconic Kintai Bridge, where the delicate blossoms of cherry trees frame a gently flowing river beneath gracefully arched wooden spans. The artist’s razor-sharp attention to detail—the textured stone pillars and soft ripples on the water—transports the viewer into a peaceful reverie, where the muted blues and pinks of twilight merge in harmonious contrast. The quiet silhouette of a boatman propels his vessel beneath the bridge, suggesting a tranquil yet fleeting moment of life quietly unfolding.

The composition masterfully balances foreground and background, with the curving bridge creating rhythm and movement across the scene, leading the eye from foreground cherry blossoms through the middle watery expanse and onto distant tree-lined banks beneath a softening sky. The gentle gradation of color and delicate line work characteristic of the shin-hanga tradition breathe subtle life into the print, evoking not only the beauty of nature but also a nostalgic emotional resonance—a wistful pause in the rhythm of modernity. Its historical significance lies in capturing a traditional icon during the early 20th century, bridging eras and artistic styles with the refined elegance typical of this period.

Spring Evening at the Kintai Bridge

Hasui Kawase

Category:

Created:

1927

Likes:

0

Dimensions:

843 × 1216 px

Download:

Related artworks

Nagasaki Shofukuji Temple
Winter Moon, Dohyōbara
Selected Scenes of Japanese Landscapes: Akita Tsuchizaki 1928
Travel Notes III (Travel Souvenirs Third Collection) Akita Kusunuma Marsh 1927
Travel Diary II (Souvenirs of Travels II) Moonlit Lake Kamo, Sado 1921
Kumagai Otora Shrine 1932
Travel Notes I (A Souvenir from a Journey)
Karigasaka Mountain Pass 1927
Nikkō Kegon Waterfall
Tokyo Twenty Views: Hirakawa Gate (1930)
Minobu-san Kuon-ji Temple 1930
Akashicho After Rain
Tsukuda Sumiyoshi Shrine, 1936
Yakumo Bridge at the Nagata Shrine, Kobe
Japanese Landscape Collection Bungo Kakise 1923