Kikyō Gate — Kawase Hasui (1929)

Turquoise reflections at the gates of old Edo

Blue-green water fills the foreground beneath the stone walls of Kikyō Gate. On the right, dark tiled roofs rise above pale plaster, while pine branches reach across the moat and partly veil a distant turret. Kawase Hasui gives as much space to the shifting reflections as to the architecture, letting the water set the pace of the scene.

A gate on the grounds of the former Edo Castle

Kikyō Gate stands on the grounds of the former Edo Castle, now part of Tokyo’s Imperial Palace. Hasui places the viewer low beside the moat, where the sloping stonework leads the eye toward the trees and the buildings beyond. The close view brings out the irregular shapes of the stones, the curve of the roof tiles and the ripples breaking up their reflections.

From the Twenty Views of Tokyo series

Published in 1929 by Watanabe Shōzaburō, Kikyō Gate belongs to Hasui’s Twenty Views of Tokyo series (Tōkyō nijūkei). Here, the precise outlines of the stonework and tiled roofs meet the softer colours of water and sky, a pairing that gives this shin-hanga print its distinctive character.

Why it works so well on a wall

The turquoise moat brings colour to a living room, study or entryway, while the stone and plaster tones pair easily with natural materials. A walnut frame echoes the dark roofs. Light oak and an off-white mat draw attention to the blues and greens.

• Artist: Kawase Hasui (1883–1957)
• Japanese title: Kikyōmon (桔梗門)
• Date: 1929
• Series: Twenty Views of Tokyo (Tōkyō nijūkei)
• Publisher: Watanabe Shōzaburō, Tokyo
• Original medium: colour woodblock print on paper, vertical ōban format
• Our print: high-quality reproduction on museum-grade matte paper

From the same series, discover Zōjōji Temple in Shiba and Sunset at Ichinokura, Ikegami, or explore our full Kawase Hasui collection.