Kasamatsu Shiro – Tokyo Tower

Original woodblock print. The first edition of this design was published in 1959. The current print was printed in the Reiwa period (2019 – present).

The Tokyo Tower was built to serve as a broadcasting station and as a symbol for Japan’s postwar economic recovery. As can easily be seen, it was inspired by the Eiffel Tower, and like the Eiffel Tower in Paris, it has become a popular tourist attraction and a prominent landmark for Tokyo.

The Tokyo Tower print is unusual for a Shin hanga artist. Most commonly, they would seek to introduce a timelessness in their woodblock prints by either having no signs of modernity in the scene or by reducing its presence. Here, however, Kasamatsu Shiro does the opposite and puts modernity at the center of the print, seemingly unconcerned with any considerations of timelessness, as the first edition was created in 1959, only one year after the Tokyo Tower was completed. Somewhat ironically, whereas in Shin hanga prints modernity would often only be visible in the background, here it is the other way around, and traditional Japan is almost hidden, but still present with a silhouette of a temple rooftop in the background. The print makes it clear that the capability of Shin hanga artists to bring out impressiveness and beauty is not limited to depicting temples, castles, and shrines, and applies to modern buildings equally well.

Image size (excluding margins): 36.7 * 24.3 cm (14.4 * 9.6 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