Saursawa Pond in Nara

This print depicts Sarusawa Pond in central Nara, the small artificial pond immediately south of Kofuku-ji temple—the romanization 'Saursawa' representing an alternate transliteration of the same site treated in several other Hasui compositions. The reflective surface of the pond provides the compositional basis for one of his most frequently revisited meisho-e subjects: the inverted image of Kofuku-ji's five-story pagoda descending into still water while willow branches frame the upper register. Hasui's multiple versions of this view differ in atmospheric condition, time of day, season, and printing generation, each exploiting different tonal opportunities within the same compositional structure. The graduated bokashi used to model both sky and water surface required careful baren pressure by the Watanabe atelier's printers working on kozo-fiber washi. This print, like the others in the Sarusawa group, represents Hasui's sustained engagement with a site where historic architecture and natural reflection combine into a subject well suited to shin-hanga technical virtuosity.