Cloudy Day at Yaguchi Ferry (Kumoribi no Yaguchi)

Yaguchi Ferry was a historic river crossing on the Tama River in the western outskirts of Tokyo, and Hasui depicted this locale on multiple occasions across his career. This print likely shows the ferry or its surroundings under an overcast sky, with the wide river reflecting the flat gray tones of the clouds above. The composition would characteristically divide the picture plane into water, distant bank, and sky, with the ferry boat or waiting figures providing a human scale element. Overcast river scenes required precise ink preparation to achieve the tonal unity between water reflection and sky without the contrast that direct sunlight would provide. The Yaguchi crossing carried both practical and nostalgic associations in the early twentieth century as Tokyo expanded and traditional river transport was gradually superseded by bridges and railways.