Iwakuni

This print depicts Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture, a city renowned for the Kintaikyo, the historic five-arched wooden bridge spanning the Nishiki River. Hasui likely framed the bridge against a backdrop of forested hillsides or Iwakuni Castle on Mount Shiroyama, employing the gradated bokashi technique to render atmospheric depth in the sky or water. The Nishiki River's reflective surface, a recurring compositional device in Hasui's work, would have allowed him to mirror the bridge's elegant arcs in still water below. The print belongs to the broader body of meisho-e landscape work Hasui produced during his extensive travels across Japan for publisher Watanabe Shozaburo, documenting celebrated scenic sites in the shin-hanga tradition.