Nishijima Katsuyuki – Slope in Murotsu (Nishijima Katsuyuki – Murotsu no Saka)

Original woodblock print, hand-signed and numbered 20/500 by the artist. First published in 1995.

A spectacular scene by Nishijima Katsuyuki. The slope of the title can be taken to refer to the slope on which the houses stand, but also to the magnificent clouds that form their own mountain. Such reflections are often encountered in Japanese woodblock printing, for example in perhaps the most famous print of all, by Katsushika Hokusai, The Great Wave off Kanagawa. There, one of the waves echoes the shape of Mount Fuji, and another the shape of the clouds towering over Mount Fuji. The boats, dwarfed by the wave and thus even more so by Mount Fuji, and ultimately most of all by the sky, highlight the endless power of nature. Whereas in Hokusai’s print the imagery might seem menacing to the seamen, such an element seems lacking in the current print by Nishijima Katsuyuki. However, the imposing vastness of nature, in all its beauty, is beyond escape for the viewer here as well.

Image size (excluding margins): 37.9 * 25.8 cm (14.9 * 10.2 in).

The print is in excellent condition.

The pictures shown here are from the print itself.

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Nishijima Katsuyuki b. 1945) is a prolific and popular Japanese woodblock artist. He has been perfecting his art since half a century, working in the Sosaku Hanga (creative prints) style, and thus carving and printing all by himself.

He has developed a completely unique style, making his prints recognizable from across the room. Common themes are country side landscapes and city scenes. Here, the scenes do not show people or modern tools, creating a timeless beauty, where, to an extent, it is possible to imagine oneself being in the present or a century earlier just as easily.

Nishijima Katsuyuki signs his prints, but many of the designs are unnumbered. With many designs and possibly recurring editions for his unnumbered prints, it seems that it was possible for him to keep them relatively affordable.

See an overview of Nishijima Katsuyuki's woodblock prints