Collection of Scenic Views of Japan II, Kansai edition: Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto (Nihon fukei shu II Kansai hen: Kyoto Kiyomizudera)

From the second volume of Hasui's Nihon fukei shu (Collection of Scenic Views of Japan), Kansai edition, this print depicts Kiyomizudera, the eighth-century Hosso-sect Buddhist temple on Otowayama in eastern Kyoto. The temple's defining feature is its wooden stage (butai), a massive veranda extending over the wooded hillside on an interlocking frame of zelkova pillars assembled without nails, a structure that has anchored representations of Kyoto since the Edo period. Hasui's composition likely places the main hall and stage against the layered slopes of the Higashiyama range, with seasonal markers—cherry blossoms, autumn maples, or bare winter branches—establishing the time of year. The steep forested site demanded careful management of green and ochre tones across multiple blocks, while the wooden architecture required precise rendering of its post-and-beam geometry. Published by Watanabe Shozaburo in oban format, this meisho-e situates Kiyomizudera within Hasui's systematic documentation of western Japan's celebrated landscapes.