Sea Coast at Atami

Atami, a coastal city on Sagami Bay in Shizuoka Prefecture, is known for its rocky volcanic shoreline and long history as a hot spring resort. Hasui's coastal prints of this type typically emphasize the drama of waves breaking against irregular stone outcroppings, with the sea horizon extending beneath a sky rendered in graduated bokashi. The volcanic rock formations that define Atami's shoreline, darkened by spray and worn to rough geometry, contrast with the white reserved areas of kozo-fiber washi that represent breaking surf—a technique that avoids printing on the paper and instead allows its natural tone to read as foam. The resort character of Atami, which attracted urban visitors from Tokyo throughout the Meiji and Taisho periods, may be reflected in a relatively temperate atmospheric treatment, distinct from the stormy Japan Sea coastal views in Hasui's northern travel series. The composition falls within the meisho-e coastal landscape tradition that he pursued across multiple publisher series.