Evening at Miyajima

Among the six variants of this composition, this third version of the Miyajima evening subject demonstrates the range of atmospheric interpretations Hasui and his publisher could extract from a single landscape design. The Itsukushima torii, standing in shallow tidal waters on the western coast of Miyajima Island, is the compositional focal point—its twin pillars and crossbeams silhouetted or illuminated depending on the edition's palette. This version may emphasize a deeper twilight atmosphere, with a darker sky suggesting the last moments before full nightfall rather than the golden period immediately after sunset. The reflective quality of Seto Inland Sea water at low or high tide provides the mirror surface that Hasui used to double and extend the gate's visual presence in the lower half of the composition.