Snow at the Shin Bridge, Nikko

Description

The Sacred Bridge, or Shinkyo, is a historic bridge forming part of the Futarasan shrine complex in Nikko. A bridge has stood on this site for centuries, and the current bridge was built in the same design as the bridge that was present there since 1636. Its red and black lacquer stands out against the surrounding landscape. Not surprisingly, it was a popular scene for Shin-hanga artists, and many of them, including Hiroshi Yoshida and Tsuchiya Koitsu, depicted it. Here Kawase Hasui depicts it in a winter landscape, snow falling slowly all around. This print belongs to a group of designs Kawase Hasui first made around 1930 for the publishing partnership Sakai-Kawaguchi. The woodblocks were destroyed during the war, and after the war the rights to the designs were transferred to the publisher Shobisha. With the involvement of Kawase Hasui, new woodblocks were carved for the designs in the 1950s, and Shobisha has published them from the 1950s to the present day. Listing the date of the first edition in the 1950s might be more accurate, but within the woodblock print community and literature the years of the initial designs are commonly used.