Lake Kawaguchi

Hasui's compositions at Lake Kawaguchi (Kawaguchi-ko) include views taken under overcast or rainy conditions, which allowed him to explore the muted, grey-dominated palette he associated with atmospheric weather. A cloudy-day composition of the lake would show a sky of layered grey bokashi above a pale, textured water surface, with Mount Fuji partially or fully obscured by cloud mass. These weather-dependent views represent a different approach from the clear-sky Fuji compositions: the mountain's concealment makes the lake surface and near landscape carry the compositional weight. Hasui studied the effects of weather on landscape during his sketch travels and understood overcast light as a distinct condition with its own formal qualities. The palette in such prints shifts toward dove grey, cool green, and pewter tones for the water. Shore elements — trees, grasses, perhaps a narrow jetty — appear flattened by diffuse light. This atmospheric treatment of Kawaguchi-ko reflects the shin-hanga movement's sustained interest in weather and mood over the iconic or emblematic landscape subjects that had defined earlier ukiyo-e topographic prints.