Mt Unzen in Hizen Province — 雲仙岳

This impression of the Mt Unzen composition, designated the fifth in a sequence of surviving states, likely dates from mid-production of the design and may show the woodblocks at moderate wear. Mt Unzen's fumarolic Jigoku terrain, with its pale sulfurous deposits and persistent vapor rising from vents among the peaks, gave Hasui a landscape that combined geological drama with the atmospheric qualities central to his artistic program. The volcanic steam rendered through light bokashi gradation creates a sense of perpetual motion within an otherwise still composition. Hizen Province, corresponding to modern Nagasaki and Saga prefectures, was a destination on Hasui's travel itineraries during the 1920s and 1930s, and prints from this region reflect direct observation of terrain unusual in the Japanese landscape print tradition, which had long centered on the Kanto and Tokaido regions.