Fumio Kitaoka - 秋の銀閣寺 (Autumn at Ginkaku-ji)

Modern | Sōsaku Hanga Woodblock Print

A fabulous piece by Fumio Kitaoka, “秋の銀閣寺 (Autumn at Ginkaku-ji)”, looks across the carefully raked 銀沙灘 (Ginshadan) and white conical 向月台 (Kogetsudai) towards Kyoto’s Silver Pavilion, framed by dark pines and autumn foliage in green, gold, orange & purple. The sand garden leads the eye towards the pavilion, while the dense trees and bold seasonal colours beautifully sit around the grounds.🍁🏯

• Year & Edition: 1971. Artist Proof. Signed, titled & dated in pencil.
  
• Medium: Woodblock.
  
• Dimensions: Sheet W: 47.75 cm × H: 63.75 cm. Image W: 39.75 cm × H: 54.50 cm.
  
• Condition: A special print in wonderful condition. Clean, crisp with no marks. A beautiful early piece
• Notes: An iconic scene depicting Ginkaku-ji, officially Jishō-ji, which developed from shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa’s Higashiyama villa, begun in 1482 and converted into a Zen temple after his death in 1490. The site became closely associated with Higashiyama culture and the development of tea ceremony, garden design, flower arrangement, poetry & Noh. The foreground shows the 銀沙灘 (Ginshadan, “Sea of Silver Sand”), a broad raised formation of carefully raked white sand, alongside the 向月台 (Kogetsudai, “Moon-Viewing Platform”), a distinctive truncated cone-shaped mound. They are traditionally associated with reflecting and viewing the moon. Despite its popular name, the Silver Pavilion was never covered in silver.

About the Artist

Fumio Kitaoka (1918-2007) was a leading figure in Japan’s sōsaku-hanga movement and a student of both Unichi Hiratsuka and Koshiro Onchi. Known for his quietly powerful landscapes, Kitaoka explored seasonal change, shifting light, and the passage of time. He exhibited and taught internationally from the 1950s onward, and his work is held in major collections including MoMA, Harvard Art Museums, and the Yokohama Museum of Art. [ ← View All Works by Fumio Kitaoka]