Rain in Nara- The Kofuku Pagoda

Rain in Nara, The Kofuku Pagoda is among Hasui's most celebrated architectural rain subjects, depicting the five-story pagoda of Kofuku-ji temple in Nara as seen through a curtain of rain, likely reflected in the adjacent Sarusawa Pond. The first printing captures the sharpest registration of the pagoda's layered roofs and the most nuanced bokashi gradations in the overcast sky. Hasui's ability to render the pagoda's silhouette—both directly and as a disturbed reflection—while maintaining the rhythm of diagonal rain lines across the entire surface demonstrates the technical precision required in shin-hanga production. Multiple craftsmen were involved, with the carver cutting blocks to Hasui's design specifications and the printer managing the washi dampening and baren pressure needed for smooth tonal gradations. The Kofuku-ji pagoda composition became one of the artist's most reprinted designs.