Hasui Kawase was one of 20th-century Japan's most prolific and celebrated printmakers. He became a dominant figure in the Shin-hanga (new prints) movement, which revitalized traditional Japanese woodblock printing by blending classical ukiyo-e aesthetics with Western impressionist lighting and perspective. Born into a merchant family, Kawase was pressured to take over the family business. He only gained the freedom to pursue art in his mid-twenties after the business suffered financial difficulties and his sister's husband assumed control.
Kawase studied Western-style oil and watercolor painting under Okada Sabur?suke. Later, he was accepted by the master Kaburagi Kiyokata, a traditional Nihonga painter. In 1918, Hasui began a lifelong collaboration with publisher Watanabe Sh?zabur?. Watanabe envisioned a revival of the traditional collaborative print production system (combining artist, carver, printer, and publisher) scaled for modern fine art collectors Hasui traveled endlessly across Japan to sketch landscapes on-site. His work is deeply admired for its depictions of weather—such as falling snow, heavy rain, and moonlit nights—and he frequently omitted human figures to emphasize the quiet serenity of nature.
In 1956, the Japanese government designated Hasui Kawase a Living National Treasure (Ningen Kokuh?) for his immense contributions to traditional Japanese culture. He was the very first woodblock print artist in history to receive this prestigious honor.