Katsuyuki Nishijima - 比良の夕 (Evening at Hira, Shiga)

A fabulous print by Katsuyuki Nishijima: 比良の夕 (Evening at Hira, Shiga). This woodblock looks across a dense stand of winter reeds towards the still waters of Lake Biwa, with the Hira mountains rising in the distance beneath a soft evening sky. The dark lattice of stems fills the foreground, while bands of pale water, pink light, and muted hills place the scene firmly in the closing hours of the day. 🌾🌅

• Year & Edition: 2024. Edition of 500. Signed & titled in pencil.
• Medium: Woodblock.
• Dimensions: Sheet W: 43.50 cm × H: 31.50 cm. Image W: 37.75 cm × H: 25.75 cm.
• Condition: Studio-fresh.
• Notes: 比良 (Hira) refers to the mountain range along the western side of Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture. The area is well known for its expansive lakeside views, reed beds, and changing light across Japan’s largest lake, all of which Nishijima captures here with great restraint.

About the Artist

Katsuyuki Nishijima (b. 1945, Yamaguchi) has spent over fifty years capturing a distilled vision of traditional Japan through woodblock printmaking. Drawing on ukiyo-e, shin-hanga, and sōsaku hanga, his prints depict peaceful street scenes, machiya, and Kyoto townscapes that quietly evoke the spirit of historical Japan. A former apprentice at Kyoto’s Mikumo publishing house, Nishijima brings a deep attentiveness to the cultural memory embedded in architecture and landscape. [ ← View All Works by Katsuyuki Nishijima]