31 Days of Kawase Hasui

Moonlit Sea Prints is proud to announce its newest online-only exhibit, “31 Days of Kawase Hasui”, for the month of July.

Born in Tokyo in 1883, Kawase Hasui became 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 through the insistence of his first publisher Watanabe Shozaburo. In 1918, he began creating shin-hanga (“new prints”) and designed more than 600 prints during the following 40 years, working with the publishers of Watanabe Shōzaburō, Doi Hangaten, Kawaguchi/Sakai-Kawaguchi, Baba Nobuhiko, and Bijutsu Shuppansha.

Hasui’s artwork encompasses a period of immense change and turmoil in Japan, including the rapid Westernization in the 1880s, the Sino-Japanese Wars, the Russo-Japanese War, World War I and World War II and its aftermath. Perhaps in response to these upheavals, Hasui’s prints often bring about a sense of nostalgia for an “old” Japan while having scenes of quietness, stillness, and profound beauty. Perhaps in today’s technological alienation many of us can relate to the need for these moments.

During July of 2023 we will begin with 30 Hasui prints ranging from his earliest shin-hanga to his later post-war works, and then adding 10 new pieces each week for a total of 60 outstanding works.

You can view the growing collection all month long at https://moonlitseaprints.com/hasui/

Moonlit Sea Prints is a small gallery in the Eastworks Building of Easthampton MA that buys, sells, and educates on the genre of antique Japanese woodblock prints from roughly 1780-2000. Through their gallery in Easthampton and online shop they reach thousands of people each month, showcasing exceptional work from a wide range of artists and giving visitors more knowledge on this oft-overlooked artform and art movement.

Information about Moonlit Sea Prints can be found at https://moonlitseaprints.com/