Morning at Tsutanuma Pond — Tsutanuma no asa

Tsutanuma Pond, located in Aomori Prefecture in northern Honshu, is the subject of this morning landscape. The pond sits within a volcanic landscape characterized by dense mixed forest and, in the cooler months, heavy snowfall — conditions that aligned closely with Hasui's sustained interest in depicting northern Japan in winter and early-season light. In morning prints of this subject, mist rising from the pond surface would dissolve the boundary between water and forest, creating the soft, layered atmospheric quality that is a hallmark of Hasui's northern landscape series. The reflection of conifers or snow-covered deciduous trees in the still pond water would provide structural depth, while the sky zone, handled through bokashi gradation on washi, would establish the cool, diffuse light of early morning at a northern latitude. The designation as the third recorded variant (slug suffix -3) indicates this impression differs from at least two earlier states in coloration, publisher seal, or compositional detail, suggesting the Tsutanuma no asa design was reissued across multiple production runs during Hasui's long publishing career.