Autumn at Oirase - Lake Towada (aka: Oirase in Autumn) from the "Collection of Scenic Views of Japan, Eastern Japan Edition".

Kawase Hasui

This impression of "Autumn in Oirase - Lake Towada" is from an early printing, with Watanabe's D seal printed in the lower left of the left margin. The verso of the heavy hosho paper is glazed from the barin used in the printing.

Typed on the verso, in the upper margin, is "'Oirase' in Autumn, at Lake Towada" and is stamped in the lower margin in purple "Made in Japan." There is a red ringed label "W111 14D."

This image is the eleventh in 25 prints in a series of twenty-five landscapes, "designed from 1932 to 1936. The series title does not appear on these prints, leading to the speculation that they were not conceived as a coherent group. Perhaps its creation was a marketing tool to solicit subscriptions orders from collectors." (Hotei catalogue)

Lake Towada is the largest crater lake in Honshü island, Japan. Located on the border between Aomori and Akita prefectures, Towada is Japan's 12th largest lake, its bright blue color is due to its great depth. The woodcut shows the edge of the lake, beneath the turning trees.