Night at Ikenohata

This print opens a window onto the artist’s fruitful col-laboration with the publisher Watanabe Shôzaburô. Its creation was sparked when Itô Shinsui happened upon a minstrel outside a teahouse in Ueno and was so struck by the piercing light emanating from the building that he rapidly sketched the nighttime scene. Watanabe not only had prints made from the sketch but also included a note describing their origin and production when he distributed copies to the Edo-e Kanshôkai (a club for print collectors). The note that accompanied the print reads in part: What struck Shinsui was the edge of Shinobazu Pond at night, seen through the cherry trees and old willow trees, with the contrast between the candlelight in the windows and the deep blue of the sky. . . . In order to transfer the freshness of the experience as faithfully as possible, I asked Shinsui to freely direct and oversee the work of the carver and printer.(Translated by Hiroko Isogai)