Kasamatsu Shiro – Entrance to the Engaku-ji Temple, Kamakura

Original woodblock print. The first edition of this design was published in 1953. The current print was printed in the Reiwa period (2019 – present).

The current scene is depicted from the front of Engaku-ji Temple in Kamakura. Engaku-ji is a Buddhist temple complex, founded in 1282. It was built after the Japanese had successfully countered the attacks by Mongolian forces in the 13th century, honoring those who died. In the print, only the front of the Engaku-ji Temple complex is visible, but it is elaborate and contains many buildings and is an important temple for Zen Buddhism to this day.

Kasamatsu Shiro created quite a few prints that focused on one color and its variants, and the current one does so too. The front of Engaku-ji Temple is surrounded by trees and bushes, which makes the many green colors a realistic part of the scene. It is said that Shin hanga artists were often seeking to capture the mood of a scene they depicted and, if so, Kasamatsu Shiro clearly succeeded with the serenity and calmness of the current print.

Image size (excluding margins): 36.4 * 24.1 cm (14.3 * 9.5 in).

The print is in excellent condition.

The pictures shown here are from the print itself.

—

Kasamatsu Shiro (1898-1991) was a prolific and famous woodblock artist. When only aged thirteen he started as an apprentice. He could trace part of his artistic lineage back via Kaburagi and Yoshitoshi, connecting him to the great Ukiyo-e masters of the 19th century.

He created many prints in the Shin-Hanga style. Many of these depicted traditional themes like landscapes and temples, but within that Shiro displayed great diversity. His prints in the period of 1952-1960 in this style were very successful. This enabled him to experiment and he started working in the Sōsaku-Hanga (creative prints) movement as well, not only designing but also carving and printing himself.

See an overview Kasamatsu Shiro’s woodblock prints.

See an overview of Kasamatsu Shiro's woodblock prints