Kasamatsu Shiro – Kegon Waterfall at Nikko

Original woodblock print. The first edition of this design was published in 1952. The current print was printed in the Reiwa period (2019 – present).

The Kegon Waterfall at Nikko is one of Japan’s most impressive waterfalls, and one of three located at Nikko. Kasamatsu Shiro follows traditional ukiyo-e artists, such as Hiroshige, who already depicted these waterfalls, but shows it here in a typical Shin-hanga style design. Three figures join the viewer of the print in seeing the waterfall and, having been depicted so small, bring out its impressiveness.

Image size (excluding margins): 36.5 * 24.0 cm (14.4 * 9.4 in).

The print is in excellent condition.

The pictures shown here are from the print itself.

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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.

An overview of the woodblock prints by Kasamatsu Shiro can be found here.

See an overview of Kasamatsu Shiro's woodblock prints