Early Autumn at Itako (Itako no hatsuaki)

Itako, a canal town in Ibaraki Prefecture threaded by narrow waterways lined with willows and iris gardens, was among Hasui's favorite destinations in the Kanto region. This print, titled Itako no hatsuaki (Early Autumn at Itako), captures the season's first intimations of change — the slight yellowing of willow fronds, a cooling of the light, and the slowed activity of canal traffic. Hasui likely positioned the viewer near the water's edge, looking along a canal toward low wooden bridges or boathouses, with the muted, slightly desaturated palette characteristic of early autumn in Japan's flat eastern lowlands. The composition would make use of strong horizontal elements — canal banks, reflected sky, distant treeline — punctuated by vertical willows. This print belongs to the broader tradition of meisho-e celebrating provincial landscapes now accessible by rail travel during the Taisho and early Showa periods.