Kasuga Shrine, Nara (Translation)
Souvenirs of Travel II (Series Title)
川瀬巴水 旅みやげ第二集 奈良春日神社 (Primary Title)
Kawase Hasui 川瀬巴水, Japanese, 1883 - 1957 (Artist)
Watanabe Shōzaburō 渡邊庄三郎, Japanese, 1885 - 1962 (Publisher)
Kasuga Shrine is a Shinto site built in the capital of Nara in the 8th century. According to Japanese mythology, a god of thunder traveled on a white deer to Nara, followed by several treasured gods from various provinces, all now enshrined here. After 1,200 years, the building has remained the same, as depicted by Hasui in this print with its vermillion columns, white walls, dark cypress-bark roofs, and surrounding green trees. The stone lanterns in front of the building are among more than 3,000 that have been donated by patrons from across Japan. Wandering deer, who inhabit the shrine and the nearby mountains, are believed to be sacred messengers of Shinto gods (kami).
Taisho period (1912-1926)
巴水 Hasui
Artist's seal; Publisher's seal Watanabe Shōzaburō
奈良春日神社 大正十，二，十二
René and Carolyn Balcer Collection
Brown, Kendall. Water and Shadow: Kawase Hasui and Japanese Landscape Prints. Richmond: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 2014.
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