Koichi Sakamoto - 白い里 (White Countryside)

A fabulous print by Koichi Sakamoto: 白い里 (White Countryside). Thatched-roof houses sit under a heavy blanket of snow, set against the backdrop of a distant mountain and a cloud-streaked blue sky. Bare trees rise among the buildings, their fine lines standing out against the pale winter landscape. The strong contrast between dark timber walls and white ground gives the scene depth and structure, while the clear, open sky evokes a crisp midwinter morning in rural Japan. ❄️🏔️🌤️

• Year & Edition: c. late 1970s/80s · Artist Proof (épreuve d’artiste).
• Medium: Etching & Aquatint.
  
• Dimensions: Sheet H: 38.00 cm × W: 50.00 cm; Image H: 26.00 cm × W: 36.00 cm.
  
• Condition: Beautiful condition. Paper clean & crisp; well stored.
  
• Notes: From the later decades of the 20th century, Sakamoto became especially known for his winter landscapes - snow-covered villages and mountain settings rendered with clarity and restraint.

About the Artist

Koichi Sakamoto (b.1932, Utsunomiya) is a Japanese printmaker known for his fine etchings & mezzotints depicting rural homes, birds, and quiet seasonal landscapes. A longtime exhibitor with the Japan Print Association and Shunyōkai, his postwar works are held in major museum collections in Japan and abroad. His snowbound villages and delicate natural subjects evoke a deep sense of stillness & reflection. [ ← View All Works by Koichi Sakamoto]