Arifuku Spa, Iwami

Arifuku Onsen sits in a narrow ravine along the Naka River in what was formerly Iwami Province, now Shimane Prefecture. This print records Hasui's impression of the resort during one of his sketching journeys through western Japan, a practice he undertook systematically to gather reference material for the Watanabe publishing house. The composition likely positions the viewer at creek level, looking up toward the terraced inn structures stacked against the gorge wall. Hasui's characteristic handling of water surfaces—rendered with parallel horizontal lines broken by reflected light—would animate the stream in the foreground. The surrounding deciduous and evergreen canopy allowed for subtle seasonal color cues, whether the deep greens of summer or the ochres of autumn. The oban-format sheet gives the vertical landscape room to breathe.