Masao Ido - 道後温泉 (Dogo Onsen)

A fabulous print by Masao Ido: 道後温泉 (Dogo Onsen). Depicted here at dusk, the famous bathhouse glows with soft yellow light beneath a twilight sky. Visitors linger in the shadows outside the 19th-century wooden facade, its layered tiled roofs, lattice windows, and iconic watchtower rendered with Ido’s warm clarity. A peaceful yet lively evocation of one of Japan’s oldest and most beloved hot springs - a real-life inspiration for the bathhouse in Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away. 🏯🌆

• Year & Edition: 1980 · Ed. 190/270 (signed, titled & editioned in pencil).
  
• Medium: Woodblock.
  
• Dimensions: Sheet H: 36.50 cm × W: 48.25 cm; Image H: 30.50 cm × W: 42.00 cm.
  
• Condition: Wonderful; image unblemished with vibrant colour. Paper clean, crisp & intact.
  
• Notes: Built in 1894, the three-storey Dogo Onsen Honkan (道後温泉本館) in Matsuyama is considered Japan’s oldest public bathhouse. A designated Important Cultural Property since 1994, it continues to serve as both an architectural treasure and a working onsen. Its labyrinthine interiors and Meiji-era charm made it a key model for Yubaba’s bathhouse in Miyazaki’s Spirited Away. ♨️✨

About the Artist

Masao Ido (1945-2016) was a printmaker known for his Kyoto scenes, brimming with rich greenery, seasonal shades of signature “Ido Green”, and refined goma-zuri textures. Trained in traditional textile dyeing, he turned to woodblock printmaking in the early 1970s, capturing historic townscapes and seasonal views - from Kyoto to Shirakawa-go and the Nakasendō way. Printed with up to 23 colour blocks on handmade Echizen washi, his works are held in major collections including the MFA Boston, U.S. Library of Congress, and the Tokyo & Kyoto National Museums. [ ← View All Works by Masao Ido]