Evening at Byodoin Temple

This print depicts the Byodoin, the eleventh-century Fujiwara temple complex at Uji, south of Kyoto, most recognizable by the Ho-o-do or Phoenix Hall whose symmetrical wings are reflected in the adjacent pond. At evening the building's cinnabar-colored timbers deepen against a sky rendered with bokashi gradation, and the reflection in the still water doubles the composition vertically. Hasui made multiple designs of the Byodoin, drawn by the motif's combination of architectural precision and atmospheric light. The washi ground absorbs the layered pigments to produce the soft, luminous quality characteristic of shin-hanga landscapes published through the Watanabe Shozaburo studio. The subject connects to a long meisho-e tradition of representing celebrated temples and their grounds across Japan.