Early Autumn in Itako

This print of Itako in early autumn may represent a related but distinct composition from the titled Itako no hatsuaki design, possibly a different edition, publisher, or series context. Itako's system of narrow canals, flat terrain, and willow-shaded banks gave Hasui rich compositional material, and he returned to the town across multiple visits and print series. Early autumn in Itako would be characterized by a cooled, slightly hazy light and the first coloration in deciduous foliage along the waterways, rendered in the muted ochres and warm greens that Hasui's printers achieved through careful pigment mixing on washi. The flat, low landscape of the Suigo wetland region surrounding Itako lends compositions a pronounced horizontality, with expansive skies occupying a large portion of the sheet. Small boats, boatwomen, or simple wooden structures likely provide human and architectural scale.