Road to Nikko – Kawase Hasui Print (1930)

A walk beneath the giant cedars

An old woman, a basket on her back, walks slowly along a road bordered by immense cedar trees. Their trunks rise far beyond the top of the image, while a small stream runs along the path and the sun breaks through just around the bend. With this tall, vertical composition, Kawase Hasui makes us feel the scale of the forest and the quiet rhythm of a journey on foot.

The Nikkō Kaidō, one of Japan's historic highways

In the Edo period, the Nikkō Kaidō was one of the five great roads leading out of Edo (today's Tokyo). It ran for about 140 km to Nikkō, in the mountains to the north, home of the Tōshōgū, the lavish shrine dedicated to the first Tokugawa shogun. Along its final stretch, cedar trees were planted in the 17th century as an offering to the shrine. Centuries later, these towering trunks still form one of the most impressive avenues in Japan.

Hasui's poetry of the everyday

Published in 1930 by Watanabe Shōzaburō, Road to Nikko is one of Hasui's best-known designs. It shows what made him the leading landscape artist of the shin-hanga movement: no grand monument, just an ordinary traveller, dappled light and the deep greens and browns of the forest, rendered with extraordinary sensitivity.

Why it works so well on a wall

Warm, green and soothing, this print brings nature indoors. Its vertical format suits narrow walls, hallways and staircases, and it looks wonderful in a living room full of plants or in a study. Pair it with natural wood, rattan and earthy tones; a light oak frame enhances its greens, a black frame its depth.

• Artist: Kawase Hasui (1883–1957)
• Japanese title: Nikkō kaidō
• Date: 1930
• Publisher: Watanabe Shōzaburō, Tokyo
• Original: color woodblock print, vertical ōban format
• Our print: high-quality reproduction on museum-grade matte paper (not an original woodblock print)

For another peaceful scene from the early 1930s, discover Snow at Hie Shrine, learn more about Kawase Hasui, or explore our full Kawase Hasui prints collection.