Japan Art and Cherry Blossoms in Buddhist and Shinto Settings
Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
Kawase Hasui (1883-1957) produced countless amazing landscapes. Accordingly, the print above intermixes Shinto and the delightful colors of cherry blossom.
The Virginia Art Museum says, “Born in Tokyo, Kawase Hasui was a master of Japanese landscape prints. He began his journey as an illustrator for books and magazines but soon discovered his heart belonged to printmaking. In 1918, he began creating Shin-hanga (new prints) and designed more than 600 prints during the following 40 years.”
The artist Eiichi Kotozuka was born in Osaka in 1906. He is famous for his sōsaku hanga (creative prints) art. Above, Kotozuka fuses the beauty of the cherry blossom, nature, and the Buddhist pagoda.
The British Museum says, “After training in Western art at the Shinano-hashi Yoga Kenkyujo, moved to Kyoto where he studied Nihonga and woodblock printmaking. Graduated from Kyoto City Art College in 1930. In 1934 participated in the Teiten exhibition for the first time...”
In the print above, Ando Hiroshige (1797-1858) highlights the attraction of cherry blossoms within a Shinto setting by the Sumida River.
The rain fails to put people off from visiting because they know the cherry blossom season is short. Also, many visitors will pray at the Shinto complex in the local environs all year round.
Buddhism and Shintoism are highlighted in all three prints via the prism of nature and the stunning beauty of cherry blossoms.
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