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

Travel Diary II: Port of Ogi, Sado Island
Zojoji Temple in the Snow 1929
Izu Ito Shogetsuin 1933
Kiko Temple, Nara Prefecture
Evening Glow at Yanaka
Corridor of Miyajima
Autumn in the Plains
Spring Snow at Kiyomizu Temple, Kyoto
Twelve Scenes of Tokyo: Winter Moon (Toyama Plain)
Landscape of Hizen Kabeshima, 1922
Early Summer Rain at Arakawa
Senkoji Slope, Onomichi from the Series Views of Japan, 1922
Seashore of West Izu, Miho 1937