Hasui 巴水: Himeji Castle 姫路城

Artist: Kawase Hasui 巴水 (1883-1957)  Title: Himeji Castle 姫路城  Series: Hasui's Twelve Landscapes for Uchiwa-e (uchiwa-e junikei).Date: Undated (ca 1935) Himeji Castle rises imposingly against a deep blue sky. The clouds ascend up towards the right, continuing the uplift of the roof corners. We can see where its Japanese moniker of “White Heron Castle” comes from, as its shape and white exterior are said to resemble a bird taking flight. Himeji Castle dates from 1333, although and is considered the finest surviving example of Japanese castle archicture from the feudal period.It is the largest and most visited castle in Japan and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  This series of twelve fan prints was first published by Haibara paper shop in about 1934 with the series title “Hasui’s Twelve Landscapes for Uchiwa”. Those were printed with the designs bordered within a printed fan shape. In 1935, the publisher Kato Junji acquired the rights to these designs, and had new blocks carved with the