Hill of Senko-ji (Onomichi Senko-ji no saka), Taishô period, dated 1922

Dated 1922 and titled Onomichi Senko-ji no saka, this early Taisho-period print depicts the steep stone stairway leading to Senkoji Temple on the hillside above Onomichi harbor in Hiroshima Prefecture. Senkoji's hilltop commands views across the narrow inland sea channel, and Hasui's composition likely uses the stone steps and flanking stone lanterns to create a receding diagonal that draws the eye upward through the frame. Published during the formative years of the shin-hanga movement, this 1922 design reflects Hasui's rapid maturation as a landscape printmaker following his travels through western Japan. The stone steps, worn smooth and slightly moss-edged, provided a textural contrast to the atmospheric sky — qualities that Watanabe's carvers and printers rendered with characteristic precision on kizuki-hosho washi.