TSUCHIYA KOITSU (1870-1949), SENGAKUJI TEMPLE AT TAKANAWABy Tsuchiya Koitsu (1870-1949), signed Koitsu with seal ‘Shin’Japan, dated 1933Color woodblock print on paper. Horizontal Oban. Signed Koitsu with ‘Shin’ seal on the bottom left corner of the image. With Doi Hangaten publisher watermark ‘Doi’ located on the top-left corner. Vertical inscription along the right margin.An evocative night scene of the Sengakuji Temple in the evening during rainfall. Beautiful colors illuminate the street as reflected light bounces off it. SIZE of the sheet 26.8 x 39.8 cmCondition: Great impression, vivid colors and registration. Wear commensurate with age with very minor browning.Tsuchiya Koitsu (1870-1949) was a renowned landscape artist and a student of the famous Meiji-era print designer Kobayashi Kiyochika (1847-1915). He gained prominence as a designer of shin hanga (New Prints) for major woodblock print publishers from the early 1930s to 1940. Tsuchiya Koitsu's prints were known for their dramatic use of light and interesting color effects, influenced by his teacher Kiyochika. While some critics praised his work, noting its quality on par with famous shin hanga landscape artists like Kawase Hasui, Kasamatsu Shiro, and Yoshida Hiroshi, others criticized his heavy-handed design and unconventional color sensibility.