Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto

This print belongs to a group of Hasui designs centered on Kiyomizu-dera that collectively map the temple's various viewpoints and atmospheric conditions. The Higashiyama hills on which the temple sits slope steeply, providing dramatic topographic contrasts that Hasui translated into pronounced spatial recession. The print's composition may feature the stone steps of the Sannen-zaka or Ninenzaka approaches, worn smooth by centuries of pilgrims, or the lower terrace where the Otowa-no-taki waterfall channels into three separate streams believed to grant longevity, success, and fortunate love. Small human figures, a common device in Hasui's landscape prints, may anchor the scale and convey the temple's monumental presence without disrupting the landscape mood. The bokashi gradation from sky to mid-ground would unify the tonal structure.