Gihachiro Okuyama - 大船の露頭観音 "Outcrop" Kannon in Ofuna

Gihachiro Okuyama’s mid-century woodblock “大船の露頭観音 (‘Outcrop’ Kannon in Ofuna)” presents the towering 白衣観音 (Byakue Kannon) statue rising over 25 m on a grassy outcrop at Ofuna Kannon Temple. Beneath a luminous moon, a pilgrim and child climb the winding path past blooming shrubs and a greenhouse, while a simple wooden cart rests nearby - an evocative scene of devotion set against moonlit hills.🌙⛩️

• Year & Edition: Original blocks carved 1949; printed by 京都版画院 (Kyoto Hanga-in), later edition circa 1960–1980 (printer seal “Shinagawa”, printer inscription partially unreadable).
• Medium: woodblock print.
• Dimensions: Sheet H: 41.50 cm × W: 29.00 cm.
• Condition: Fine; stored well in original mount/folder.
• Notes: Ofuna’s 白衣観音 is one of thirty-three Buddhist forms of Kannon, revered for protection from illness, safe childbirth, disaster relief, and child rearing. Construction began in 1929 but was halted during WWII, finally completing around 1960 as both a spiritual guardian and a memorial to the victims of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings. Okuyama’s print captures the statue’s serene presence and the timeless ritual of pilgrimage under moonlight.