雄鹿半島竜ケ崎

About this print

This woodblock print shows the seashore of the Oga Peninsula in Oga, Akita Prefecture. It is a shin-hanga (new print) by Kawase Hasui, dated in the catalog record to around 1935 (Showa 10). Carrying on the techniques of Edo-period nishiki-e color prints, it was made by a team in which the artist, the carver and the printer each did their own part.

The Oga Peninsula juts out into the Sea of Japan, with mountains such as Mount Kanpu and the Oga Sanzan (Three Mountains of Oga) and a varied coastline. Along the western coast run cliffs and oddly shaped rocks, formed from debris laid down by volcanic eruptions long ago. "Ryugasaki" in the title may also be read Tatsugasaki. It is not known which reading is correct or which part of the coast the name refers to. The writing at the upper right of the print appears to say 雄鹿半島 龍ヶ崎 (Oga Peninsula, Ryugasaki), but its last character is in cursive script and may instead be 島 ("island"), so the characters or reading of the title may be mistaken.

The coast and other parts of the peninsula became Oga Quasi-National Park in 1973. In 2011 the area was certified as a Japanese Geopark, the Oga Peninsula-Ogata Geopark, where you can see up close how the land was formed.

Glossary