Snow at Hikone by Katsuyuki Nishijima
I won’t bore you with the snowy photos I took yesterday, since they look just like my shots from last week. Instead, I’ll share woodcuts by one of my favorite artists, Katsuyuki Nishijima, who was born in 1945 and is now based in Kyoto. He is a master of Ukiyoe, or the Japanese woodblock print.
February by Katsuyuki Nishijima
Snow at Ohhara by Katsuyuki Nishijima
Coldest Season by Katsuyuki Nishijima
Snowy Day by Katsuyuki Nishijima
Inn at Ikomaiya by Katsuyuki Nishijima
Nishijima is well-known for his nostalgic depictions of small town life, often including shops, restaurants, and farmhouses. His prints never include people, or cars. Above are some of his snowy images. Below are sunnier Nishijima prints:
A Storefront at Kawagoe by Katsuyuki Nishijima
Colorful Umbrella by Katsuyuki Nishijima
A Storefront at Takayama by Katsuyuki Nishijima
Sunny Time by Katsuyuki Nishijima
Tea House at Outdoor by Katsuyuki Nishijima
My personal favorites from Nishijima’s body of work are his rainy landscapes:
Tsutaya by Katsuyuki Nishijima
White Rain by Katsuyuki Nishijima
A Storefront at Echigoya by Katsuyuki Nishijima
Department of Everyday Visualingual 
desolate but warm – beautiful. great post.
Definitely desolate, but also comfortable and serene… I’m glad you enjoyed his work.
Beautiful work. I prefer the snowy landscapes, but to each their own. Thanks for sharing.
These are beautiful! I absolutely love the brilliant colors of Japanese woodblock prints.
Thanks for sharing.
These are breathtaking!
Brilliant. Reminds me of the “Okami” video game that came out a few years ago.
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We recently visited Iwakuni, Southwest of Hiroshima and found a small shop where the work that stood out from all the others was “Kyoto Old House”. We purchased the framed work and it is now hanging in our Wisconsin home. Wish we could have met the artist since we were in Kyoto for several days. Would like to know more about his career.
Bill and Amy Benson of Eau Claire, Wisconsin USA
How cool! Bill, you can read a nice biography of the artist here.