Ray Morimura - 姫路城 (Himeji Castle)

Contemporary Woodblock Print

A fabulous print by Ray Morimura: 姫路城 (Himeji Castle). Morimura reduces the great white keep and its surrounding towers to crisp black-and-white geometry, rising above enormous stone ramparts rendered in dense lattice-like pattern. Pale spring blossom softens the base of the walls, with flowering plants filling the foreground and the castle moat running between the viewer and the walls. The contrast between Himeji’s layered roofs, patterned stonework and seasonal colour is classic Morimura - a highly structured contemporary view of one of Japan’s most celebrated landmarks. 🏯🌸

• Year & Edition: 2021 · Edition of 70 (22/70) (signed, titled & dated in pencil).
• Medium: Woodblock.
• Dimensions: Sheet W: 42.75 cm × H: 58.75 cm. Image W: 29.75 cm × H: 44.50 cm.
• Condition: Mint.
• Notes: Himeji Castle in Hyōgo Prefecture is regarded as the finest surviving example of early 17th-century Japanese castle architecture. Much of the present complex dates from 1601–1609, with its white plastered walls and layered roofs giving rise to the name Shirasagi-jō (白鷺城, “White Heron Castle”). The castle survived the Meiji period, wartime bombing and later redevelopment with its principal structures intact, and was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.

About the Artist