Hiro Yamagata - The Essence of Japan: Sanzen-in (日本のエッセンス 三千院)

Condition and Authenticity: Two small foxing spots at lower-left margin; slight toning and tape traces on verso. Frame has minor knocks and small chips at the corners. This artwork does not include a certificate of authenticity.

Provenance: Auction in Japan

Frame: Framed in a green, gold and black stepped moulding with a white mat; minor knocks and small corner chips consistent with age.

This silkscreen belongs to Hiro Yamagata's celebrated 'The Essence of Japan' series, in which the internationally acclaimed artist turned his signature luminous palette toward Japan's most treasured places. The scene depicts Sanzen-in, the ancient Tendai temple set in Ohara, north of Kyoto. A tiled temple hall glows softly among towering cedars and layers of fresh green maple, while dappled light filters through the deep forest to evoke the crystalline, hushed air unique to Kyoto's northern hills. In the foreground, the playful children, striped costumes and tabby cats that recur throughout Yamagata's work bring warmth and intimacy to the solemn sacred setting, expressing Japanese culture as beauty found within everyday life. Built up from layered screens in more than one hundred colors, the print rewards close viewing with astonishing fine detail. Hand-signed in pencil and numbered 103/300, it carries the embossed Yamagata Center and Yamagata Copyright blindstamps that identify it as an authentic published edition.