Modern | Sōsaku Hanga Woodblock Print
Katsuyuki Nishijima’s woodblock print “Takehara Townscape” depicts the layered façades of Honmachi-dori, where weathered wooden railings and latticed windows give way to ash-grey plaster walls and gently sloping tile roofs beneath a crisp blue sky. Nishijima captures the preserved charm of Takehara’s merchant quarter, a center of salt production and sake brewing for over 350 years. 🏘️🍶
- Year & Edition: Ed. of 500 (signed & titled in pencil).
- Medium: Woodblock.
- Dimensions: Sheet W: 46.75 cm × H: 34.50 cm; Image W: 40.75 cm × H: 28.50 cm.
- Condition: Studio-fresh.
- Notes: A tremendous piece by Katsuyuki Nishijima capturing the gray plastered walls, delicate wooden railings (komayose), latticed (koshi) facades, and clay fired roof tiles (kawarabuki) of Takehara Townscape Conservation Area (町並み保存地区), Takehara City, Hiroshima prefecture. Renowned for its 350-year heritage as a bustling merchant town, Honmachi-dori runs through the heart of the old town - a 500-meter-long main street adorned with traditional, well maintained historic townhouses. A tribute to the achievements of the town’s merchants and its rich heritage of salt production and sake brewing during the Edo period (1603–1867).
