A saffron-robed monk walks toward the temple gate

A monk in a saffron robe walks toward the gate of Zuisen Temple at Narumi, seen in clear daylight. The temple's vermilion gate and carved white-plaster wall occupy the centre and right, with a red-lacquered signboard hung beneath the dark tiled roof. Broad green trees rise behind the roofline against a pale blue sky with thin cloud. The pale stone forecourt is empty apart from the single walking figure, which gives the composition its quiet.

Kawase Hasui (1883–1957) was the defining landscape artist of shin-hanga, the movement that carried Japanese woodblock printing into the twentieth century. From 1918 he worked with the publisher Watanabe Shōzaburō, travelling almost continuously through Japan and turning roadside sketches into prints of unusual atmospheric precision. Snow, rain and failing light were his real subjects, as much as any temple or harbour. In 1956 Japan recognised his woodblock technique as an Intangible Cultural Property. His prints are held by the British Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Printed as a museum-grade giclée on Hahnemühle fine art paper using 12-ink archival pigment printing. Available handframed in FSC-certified wood with optional float glass, or unframed. Ships worldwide with free delivery to 30+ countries.