Mountain Lake

A mountain lake composition in the meisho-e tradition, rendered in the shin-hanga style that Hasui developed under the patronage of publisher Watanabe Shozaburo. The design centers on a calm lake surface whose reflections of the encircling hills create a near-symmetrical image broken only by the horizon line and the slight texture of the water. Hasui's carvers and printers achieved delicate gradations across the sky through layered bokashi passes, a technique that distinguishes shin-hanga impressions from their Meiji-era predecessors. The color palette is restrained, relying on cool blue-greens and neutral grays to convey the stillness of a mountain setting. As with others in this group of related designs, close examination of the margins, publisher seals, and paper tone can help identify the edition and approximate print date.