Night Rain at Karazaki

A slanting rain fills the sky over Lake Biwa, where the monumental Karasaki pine rises from the water like a verdant island. A Shinto gateway (torii) on the slender promontory marks the sanctity of this ancient site, one of the Eight Views of Omi, famous scenic places in Omi province (modern Shiga prefecture). Derived from the famous Chinese series Eight Views of the Xiao and Xiang Rivers, the subject emerged as a poetic theme in Japan by the early seventeenth century.

In a twist on tradition, the artist Shinsai drew the familiar scenery of Lake Biwa in a distinctly foreign style modeled on Western engravings available in Japan in the early 1800s. Novel effects used here include a low, rounded horizon suggesting the earth’s curvature; a curving shore that recedes into space; Western-style shading on the trees and hills; layered clouds in the sky; and a picture frame at the margins of the print.