The view across the bay from Akashi Beach lit by a full moon, returning boats are seen through the branches of a gnarled pine tree on the shore, framing the scene. Originally printed in 1934, this is a post-war lifetime edition of the print based on the 6mm Watanabe seal in the lower left corner of the print.
The Woodblock Print
This oban-sized woodblock is in good to very good condition, with delicate paper intact and no discolorations within the image area. There is some discoloration along parts of the margin, but relegated to the margins. There seems to be two variations of this print, one with more muted colors and one with more saturated colors; this is the muted color version. A clean verso.
About the Artist
Tsuchiya Koitsu (土屋光逸, September 23, 1870 – November 13, 1949) is a well-known artist of the Shin-Hanga movement who specialized almost exclusively in landscape images.
Born in 1879 in rural Japan with the given name Koichi. He became a student of the ukiyo-e master Kiyochika Kobayashi (1847-1915) after starting an apprenticeship for a woodblock carver who worked for Kobayashi. Soon the ukiyo-e master himself took care of the young Koitsu, where he stayed and worked for 19 years in the home of his master. From 1931 on, Tsuchiya Koitsu became one of the artists working for the publisher Watanabe in the shin-hanga style. His style is reminiscent of the works of his master Kobayashi and of the famous shin-hanga artists Kawase Hasui and Hiroshi Yoshida. In typical shin-hanga style Tsuchiya Koitsu intensively used the effects of light to create moods and emotions in his images.
