Lake Matsubara on a Morning, Shinshu

A fourth impression state of the Lake Matsubara morning subject, this print documents the sustained market for Hasui's Shinshu landscape imagery over the years of its publication. In shin-hanga practice, successful designs were reprinted on demand, and each new print run required re-inking the carved woodblocks, which could introduce incremental variations in line quality as blocks wore with use. This variant likely shows the composition with characteristic elements: a horizontal band of calm water, reflected sky tones achieved through careful bokashi application, and pine-covered shoreline. The distinction between numbered variants of the same title is most readily observed by comparing the sky gradations — whether from deep indigo or softer violet at the upper margin — and the handling of water reflections in the lower register. Collectors of Hasui often seek multiple impressions of the same composition to study how printing variables affected the atmospheric qualities he pursued, making grouped variants a notable category within his oeuvre.