Katsuyuki Nishijima — “Yuki Dayori” (Snowing) — Sōsaku-hanga woodblock print, Kyoto street scene in winter, 1990s

Katsuyuki Nishijima — “Yuki Dayori” (Snowing) — Sōsaku-hanga woodblock print, Kyoto street scene in winter, 1990s

A haunting and luminous snow scene unfolds across this signed woodblock print by Katsuyuki Nishijima (b. 1945, Yamaguchi Prefecture), one of Japan’s most distinctive voices in the Sōsaku-hanga — or “creative print” — tradition. Titled Yuki Dayori (雪たより, “Snowing” / “News of Snow”), the composition draws the eye deep into a narrow Kyoto alley lined with the weathered wooden facades of traditional machiya townhouses. Snow falls in dense, suspended silence against a gradated twilight sky of slate and cobalt blue. There are no people, no modernity — only architecture, atmosphere, and time suspended.

All woodblocks are carved and printed by Nishijima himself, a defining characteristic of the Sōsaku-hanga movement  — meaning this is entirely the work of a single artistic hand, from block to paper. His signature approach combines bold planes of color with geometric discipline, capturing both Japan’s natural and urban beauty  with a restraint that borders on the meditative.

Nishijima deliberately excludes people and modern elements from his scenes, creating a timeless quality in which the viewer could equally imagine themselves in the present or a century earlier. 

The print is hand-signed in pencil by the artist in the lower right, with the Japanese title inscribed in the lower left. Printed on high-quality Japanese washi paper with the characteristic warmth and slight texture the medium demands.

Dimensions: 33 × 26 cm (13 × 10.2 inches) image on larger cream sheet.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Katsuyuki Nishijima was born in 1945 in Yamaguchi Province, Japan. Following high school he studied moku hanga woodblock printmaking at the prestigious Mikumo publishing house in Kyoto from 1964 to 1968, subsequently becoming a member of the Kyoto Independents art collective.  From 1968 to 1972 he experimented with stencil dyeing and various forms of printmaking before committing fully to woodblock, finding his deepest inspiration in the traditional architecture of Kyoto.  He continues to live and work in Kyoto.

ABOUT JAPANESE WOODBLOCK PRINTING

The art of mokuhanga (木版画) has been practiced in Japan for over three centuries, reaching its classical zenith during the Edo period with the celebrated ukiyo-e masters. The Sōsaku-hanga movement of the twentieth century reimagined this tradition: rather than dividing labour between designer, carver, and printer, the artist takes sole responsibility for every stage — conception, carving, inking, and printing. Each colour requires a separately carved block, registered with extraordinary precision. The result is an object that is simultaneously a fine print and a direct expression of the artist’s hand at every level of its creation. Nishijima’s work stands squarely within this lineage.

CONDITION: Very good. Fresh colours, clean paper, no foxing or visible damage.

Period: 1990s
Origin: Japan (Kyoto)
Medium: Woodblock print on washi paper
Signed: Yes, pencil signature lower right; title in Japanese lower left
Edition: Open edition (hand-signed)

The print will be shipped insured overseas. Cost of insured transport to the US, Euro 115.

Colors may slightly vary due to photographic lighting sources or your monitor settings.

Wear consistent with age and use.