Kinkaku-ji Temple in Late Winter (Lifetime)

Description

The print shows Kinkaku-ji temple in late winter, with the winter surroundings enhancing its already majestic beauty. It is in Fu Takenaka's typical style, with comparatively less strong borders and outlines. The temple has been depicted many times by woodblock artists, and it is a testament to the richness of the medium that the depictions never lose their intrigue. Normally all prints from an edition of 200 would be very similar, but for this design three variations exist. The lowest numbers were printed by Fu Takenaka herself and were printed quite strongly. The middle numbers were also printed by Takenaka herself, but during her illness late in life; they were pulled with considerably less pressure and as such convey a markedly different atmosphere. The higher numbers were printed posthumously by publisher Unsodo, who had also published the lifetime editions.