Pagoda and Forest Blanketed in Snow

Snow scenes rank among Hasui's most technically accomplished work, earning him the epithet 'Artist of Snow.' This print likely depicts a multi-tiered Buddhist pagoda rising above snow-covered conifers, the white of accumulated snow rendered by reserving the washi ground rather than applying white pigment. Hasui's carvers and printers achieved gradations of snow depth through fine bokashi blending along drift edges, while falling flakes are indicated through scattered resist marks. The vertical thrust of the pagoda — likely a five-story gojūnotō structure — contrasts with the horizontal spread of snow-laden boughs. The forest would be rendered in muted grey-greens and browns, their darkness emphasizing the brightness of accumulated snow. Sky gradations from prussian blue toward a cold grey-white suggest overcast winter conditions typical of the prints for which Hasui became celebrated. Published under Watanabe Shōzaburō's supervision during the shin-hanga period, this print exemplifies the movement's investment in atmospheric weather effects as the primary subject of landscape art.