Yusui Toku “Unai” Series – ‘Kasa’ 傘 (Umbrellas) – 1978 Shōwa Era Limited Edition | Kaga Yuzen Style Washi Print

About the Artwork

This elegant composition, titled 「傘」(Kasa – “Umbrellas”), belongs to the Unai (うない) limited edition series by Yusui Toku (湯水得), produced in 1978 during Japan’s Shōwa era.
It captures a gentle, lyrical moment of childhood — a small procession of children walking beneath large umbrellas in soft rainfall, their patterned garments glowing against a pale green background.

Each figure is adorned in richly detailed Kaga Yuzen–inspired kimono designs, rendered with precise color harmonies and subtle outlines reminiscent of traditional textile dyeing techniques from Kanazawa. The delicate composition evokes quiet movement, serenity, and the poetic charm of Japanese innocence under spring rain.

Poetic Inscription (Verso)

傘 (Kasa)
雨れと　頬をもらひし　かさごとの
山は　いかでか　あらぬそらかん

(Even as rain falls upon their cheeks,
the children beneath the umbrellas
walk as though the mountain sky
were still unbroken by clouds.)

This traditional waka poem expresses the serene acceptance of nature’s rhythm — the beauty of rain and resilience, as seen through a child’s untroubled eyes.

Artistic Symbolism

In Japanese culture, the umbrella (kasa) is more than a shelter — it represents transience, protection, and shared human warmth. The motif of children walking beneath umbrellas appears in both Edo and Taishō period art as a tender reflection on community and seasonality.

Here, Yusui Toku reimagines this classical theme through a Shōwa-modern lens, merging Nihonga coloration with Kaga Yuzen textile patterning. The result is a work that bridges poetry, craft, and memory, embodying the refined vision of the Unai series — the purity of childhood as the enduring soul of Japanese aesthetics.

Artwork Details

Artist: Yusui Toku (湯水得)
Title: 傘 (Kasa / Umbrellas)
Series: Unai (うない)
Year: 1978 (Shōwa 53)
Medium: Woodblock / mixed media print on handmade washi paper
Style: Kaga Yuzen–inspired textile motifs with soft pastel tonality
Edition: Limited to 50 prints
Publisher: Fuji Art Publishing (Japan)

Collector Highlights

• Features Yusui Toku’s signature Kaga Yuzen coloration and textile-inspired detail

• Integrates Japanese poetry and visual art in harmony — a hallmark of the Unai series

• Produced during the late Shōwa period, symbolizing Japan’s modern revival of Nihonga traditions

• A rare collectible ideal for admirers of Japanese poetic prints, Yuzen textile design, and modern Ukiyo-e reinterpretations