Kinkaku-ji Temple in Late Winter (Lifetime)

Description

The print shows the Kinkaku-ji in late winter, with the winter surroundings enhancing its already majestic beauty. It is in Fu Takenaka's typical style, with comparatively less strong borders and outlines. The temple has been depicted much more often by woodblock artists, and it is a testament to the richness of the art the depictions never lose their intrigue. Fu Takenaka succeeded here as well with her print being unlike any other, in what might be one of her best designs. Normally all prints from an edition of 200 would be very similar, but for this design three variations exist. The lowest numbers were printed by Fu Takenaka herself and were printed quite strongly. The mid-numbers were printed by Fu Takenaka herself as well, but during her illness late in life and were printed much less strongly and as such provide a very different atmosphere. The higher numbers were printed posthumously by publisher Unsodo, who used to publish the lifetime editions as well.