Ito Yuhan – Pagoda in Snow

Original woodblock print. The first edition of this design was published circa 1935. The current print was printed in the Showa period (1926 – 1989).

Various titles have been given to this Ito Yuhan print, ranging from Toshogu Pagoda in Ueno, to Pagoda in Ueno Park, and from Pagoda in Kyoto to Tenno-Ji in Snow. As the print does not have a title present in its margins and as we do not know of a publisher catalog where it was listed with a title, it seems unavoidable that a given title is used. In this case, part of the given titles must be incorrect descriptions however, as the scene cannot be both in Tokyo and in Kyoto at the same time. The Harvard Museum, as an alternative suggestion, lists it as “Toshogu Pagoda in Ueno”, but it seems an unlikely location (and one wonders about the hills in the background). The National Gallery of Victoria lists it as “Pagoda in the snow”, which, though less specific, is at least not wrong. It might be possible to track the exact location, perhaps by referring to the text on the noren of the restaurant on the left, or by tracing it to a publisher catalog after all, but so far we have not managed to do that. We then err on the side of caution, and use one of the more generic given titles in use, to at least not be wrong.

All this uncertainty might not be that important anyway, as what is sure is that the design is a delightful snow scene, capturing the serenity of the scene, and its ancient atmosphere, even if achieved by leaving out the traces of modernity that must already have been present at the time of creation, both in Tokyo and in Kyoto.

Image size (excluding margins): 37.1 * 24.9 cm (14.6 * 9.8 in).

The print is in excellent condition.

The pictures shown here are from the print itself.

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Ito Yuhan (1882-1951) was a Shin hanga artist who designed a series of woodblock prints in the 1930s for publisher Nishinomiya Yosaku. These prints are in unmistakable Shin hanga style and depict landscapes and famous Japanese places. That notwithstanding, within the Shin hanga movement, Ito Yuhan is an absolutely unique artist with an unforgettable style. This is best exemplified in his prints where the key-block was omitted during printing, even if it was used during the creation process of the woodblocks. As a result, the sharp black outlines that are present in other Shin hanga designs are missing, and combined with printing in soft tones and with many color gradients, the result is almost like watercolor paintings.

Discover more information and see an overview of Ito Yuhan’s woodblock prints.

See an overview of Ito Yuhan's woodblock prints