Evening Snow at Edogawa

Among the multiple impressions catalogued for Hasui's Edogawa snow design, this example represents one printing within what may be an extended edition. The Edogawa scene characteristically employs a horizontal format—whether oban or chûban—that mirrors the river's own lateral stretch across the flat Kanto plain. Snowfall is rendered through a combination of bokashi sky gradation and the careful application of white pigment flecks. The color palette likely limits itself to cool blues, gray-blacks, and the natural off-white of the washi, creating a tonally unified image without resort to warm accent colors. Hasui's snow compositions were especially prized by Western collectors in the early twentieth century, and publisher Doi produced multiple runs to meet that demand.