Cloudy Day at Yagushi, Taishô period, dated 1919

Dated 1919, this early Taisho-period print depicts the Yagushi (Yaguchi) ferry crossing on the Tama River under overcast conditions. The 1919 date places it among Hasui's early published work with Watanabe Shozaburo, shortly after the two began their productive collaboration in 1918. Early Hasui prints from this period are distinguished by their technical refinement and the relatively high standards of hand-printing enforced by Watanabe's studio. The composition likely presents the river and its far bank beneath a layered gray sky, with the ferryman or passengers providing narrative interest. The overcast palette of cool grays and muted blues reflects Hasui's early mastery of atmospheric conditions as compositional subjects. As a 1919 impression, this print predates the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, which destroyed much of Watanabe's stock and makes early impressions particularly scarce.