Evening Snow at Terashima Village 1920

Hasui Kawase produced this woodblock print titled "Evening Snow at Terashima Village". This image is part of the Shin-Hanga movement in Japan that revitalized traditional ukiyo-e art, which had become stagnant. This piece combines the old style with modern subjects. Terashima Village is depicted in a way that might seem nostalgic, contrasting it with the rapidly modernizing Japan of the early 20th century. The inclusion of telephone poles highlights a tension between tradition and modernity. Kawase was a student of Kiyokata Kaburagi, who taught him traditional Japanese painting. You might look at the prints of Hiroshige and Hokusai to see where Kawase's artistic heritage comes from. The study of social history encourages us to understand art not just as aesthetic objects, but as documents of cultural change.