Beppu in the Morning, Oita

This impression is among the earliest states of Hasui's Beppu morning scene, one of his most celebrated depictions of Kyushu. The composition centers on the harbor or bay at dawn, with fishing or ferry boats resting in calm water while geothermal steam from Beppu's famous hot springs drifts in thick white plumes across the hillside behind the town. Hasui's handling of the steam—printed in gradated whites and pale blues using precise bokashi technique—captures the layered atmospheric depth that characterizes his best landscape work. The warm ochres and pinks of first light on the water's surface demonstrate the skill of his printer, likely from the Watanabe Shōzaburō workshop, in achieving luminous gradations through hand-applied pigment.