KASAMATSU Shiro was a print artist who remained active across three eras—the Taisho, Showa, and Heisei periods—and is regarded as one of the leading landscape artists of the shin-hanga movement. At the young age of thirteen, he entered the studio of Kiyokata and honed his skills alongside fellow pupils such as Kawase Hasui and Ito Shinsui.
After publishing Blue Storm with WATANABE Shozaburo in 1919, he went on to release a large number of landscape prints through Watanabe Woodblock Prints throughout the prewar years. In contrast to the quiet stillness characteristic of Hasui’s work, KASAMATSU’s style is marked by dynamic, modern expressions that emphasize the bustle of the city, the presence of people, and strong contrasts of light and shadow. He was particularly adept at dramatic depictions of atmospheric conditions such as rain, night, and mist, portraying scenes of Tokyo street corners and hot spring towns in warm, evocative colors.
From the latter half of the 1950s onward, he also published many works through Unsodo and gradually incorporated sosaku-hanga methods into his practice. Maintaining a vigorous creative drive into his later years, KASAMATSU stands out as a rare artist who successfully fused the brilliance of shin-hanga with the artistic individuality of sosaku-hanga at a high level.
After publishing Blue Storm with WATANABE Shozaburo in 1919, he went on to release a large number of landscape prints through Watanabe Woodblock Prints throughout the prewar years. In contrast to the quiet stillness characteristic of Hasui’s work, KASAMATSU’s style is marked by dynamic, modern expressions that emphasize the bustle of the city, the presence of people, and strong contrasts of light and shadow. He was particularly adept at dramatic depictions of atmospheric conditions such as rain, night, and mist, portraying scenes of Tokyo street corners and hot spring towns in warm, evocative colors.
From the latter half of the 1950s onward, he also published many works through Unsodo and gradually incorporated sosaku-hanga methods into his practice. Maintaining a vigorous creative drive into his later years, KASAMATSU stands out as a rare artist who successfully fused the brilliance of shin-hanga with the artistic individuality of sosaku-hanga at a high level.
