Lake Shoji

This third impression variant of Hasui's Lake Shoji subject documents ongoing demand for this composition depicting the smallest and arguably most scenic of the Fuji Five Lakes in Yamanashi Prefecture. Lake Shoji (Shojiko) is known for its clear waters and relatively undeveloped shoreline, qualities that suited Hasui's preference for landscapes with minimal human intrusion. Across three known variants of this title, differences in printing likely reflect incremental changes in colorway, bokashi gradation, or paper absorption. Mount Fuji rises above the far shore in classic compositions from this site, its reflection in the still lake creating a symmetrical vertical axis. This print may show signs of extended woodblock use in fine line passages, with the printing quality compared across variants offering insight into the production span of the design. Shin-hanga prints of this type were produced on demand by the Watanabe publishing house, which maintained the carved woodblocks and contracted artisan printers for each new run throughout the interwar decades.