Back to gallery
Night Cherry Blossoms of Koganei

Art Appreciation

This evocative artwork captures a serene night scene of cherry blossoms lined along a canal, rendered in the delicate and refined style characteristic of Japanese ukiyo-e prints. The composition is cleverly framed within an oval—a shape that draws the viewer's eye inward, as if peering through a window or lens into the quiet beauty of nature at dusk. A deep blue sky forms a tranquil backdrop, gradually blending into the pale pinks and whites of the cherry blossoms, which appear like soft clouds, glowing faintly under the moonlit atmosphere. The canal cuts a precise, narrow path through the earthy banks, its water reflecting subtle hints of color that balance the composition perfectly.

Artistically, this piece showcases a masterful use of gradation and fine line work, typical of Hasui Kawase's woodblock prints, where the interplay of shadow and light creates a contemplative, almost meditative mood. The muted color palette—dominated by cool blues, gentle greens, and warm touches from distant lantern light—imbues the scene with a quiet calmness, evoking feelings of solitude and peaceful reverie. Historically, this work embodies the shin-hanga movement's blend of traditional Japanese aesthetics with Western influences in perspective and shading, marking it as a significant example of early 20th-century Japanese printmaking that invites the viewer to linger and soak in the nocturnal charm of Sakura in bloom.

Night Cherry Blossoms of Koganei

Hasui Kawase

Category:

Created:

1935

Likes:

0

Dimensions:

4557 × 5614 px

Download:

Related artworks

Fukuoka Castle Site 1940
Rain at Maekawa in Sagami Province
Koyasan Bell Tower in Snow
Kyoto Chion-in Temple, Kansai Series
Izumo Yasugi Kiyomizu-dera
Travel Notes III (Third Collection of Travel Souvenirs) Distant View of Mount Asahi from Hakuba Mountain 1924
Shiba Benten Pond 1929
Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine 1931
Evening Glow at Yanaka
Bōshū Hamahagi Tamon Temple 1934
Twelve Scenes of a Child with Handball
Travel Notes II: Snow at Amanohashidate 1921
Shōri Amerika Chōkai
Uji Byōdō-in Phoenix Hall 1933
Twenty Views of Tokyo: Kanda Myojin Shrine Grounds, 1926