Awazu, from the series "Eight Views of Ômi (Ômi hakkei)"

Awazu is one of the eight classical meisho-e (famous place pictures) derived from the Chinese tradition of the Eight Views of Xiao and Xiang, transposed to Lake Biwa in Ōmi Province (present-day Shiga Prefecture). The Awazu view traditionally depicts the evening glow over pine groves along the lakeshore. Shinsui's interpretation replaces the documentary topography typical of earlier meisho-e with an atmospheric, mood-driven landscape. Flat color planes punctuated by delicate pine silhouettes recede into the distance, with gradated sky washes — likely achieved through multiple passes of bokashi — capturing transitional light. The oban-format composition balances horizontal land masses against vertical tree forms, drawing on Hiroshige's treatment of the same site while asserting a distinctly twentieth-century restraint and compositional flatness.