Visions of Japan

Kawase Hasui is considered one of the most important Japanese landscape artists of the 20th century. His prints, produced under the guidance and stern eye of his publisher, Watanabe Shozaburo, are the modern continuation of the unforgettable works by Hiroshige and Hokusai, the 19th-century masters of this genre. As none other, he could evoke Japan of the eventful interwar period. Hasui's work enjoyed huge popularity from his very first print of 1918. In contrast to his illustrious 19th-century predecessors, his work was immediately successful in the rest of the world. His publisher recognised the enormous potential of the American market, which resulted in Hasui's prints fetching high prices at auctions in New York as early as the 1920s. After the Second World War, his prints were highly desired and sought-after collectible items among the American occupying forces in Japan. Hasui's work has always been greatly appreciated in Japan: He was acknowledged as a 'Living National Treasure' in 1956. This publication contains a selection of one hundred masterpieces by Kawase Hasui (1883-1957). Large full-colour illustrations show the enormous variety of snow, moon and rain scenes for which Hasui became famous. Also available through ASBS is Kawase Hasui: The Complete Woodblock Prints (published 2003 by Hotei Publishing).