Banyu River, from the series Selection of Views of the Tokaido

From the series Selection of Views of the Tokaido (Tōkaidō fūkei senshū), this print depicts the Banyu River along the historic coastal highway connecting Edo and Kyoto. Hasui traveled the Tokaido extensively to make on-site sketches, and the resulting series captures the landscape character of stations and waypoints along the route. The Banyu River would have been a recognizable feature to travelers familiar with the road. Hasui layers historical associations of travel—long embedded in Tokaido imagery since Hiroshige—with direct observation of the contemporary landscape. The oban format and careful attention to local atmospheric conditions are consistent with Watanabe Shōzaburō's production standards for the series. Bokashi gradations in sky and water establish mood, while mid-ground elements—trees, a bridge, or reed beds—situate the river within its broader topography.