Futago Island - Moonlight At Matsushima

This impression of the Futago Island moonlight composition is the third in a group of closely related printings of the same Matsushima subject. The design places the twin rock formations of Futago Island in the middle ground of a nocturnal bay scene, the pine trees silhouetted against a moonlit sky. Differences between impression states in this group may include variation in the registration of the sky gradation block relative to the key block, slight shifts in the colour of the water, and the overall ink density on the dark foreground elements. Matsushima's literary and scenic prestige made it a recurring subject for shin-hanga publishers seeking designs with broad appeal; Hasui produced several distinct Matsushima compositions, of which the Futago Island nocturne was among the most frequently reprinted.