Snow at Shinkawabata, Handa, Bishu

This print documents Hasui's journey to Handa in the region historically known as Bishu (the old province of Owari, corresponding roughly to modern Aichi Prefecture), where the Shinkawabata — the embankment along the Shinkawa canal — formed a local landmark associated with sake brewing and river transport. Handa's canal system, built to facilitate the distribution of soy sauce and sake from the town's industries, presented Hasui with a working waterfront distinct from the metropolitan scenery of his Tokyo prints. A winter snowfall along this embankment would cover the canal edges and warehouse rooflines in white while the water surface remained dark and reflective, creating the tonal contrasts Hasui favored. Regional subjects of this kind reflect Hasui's practice of sketching trips (ryoko) throughout Japan, producing designs that documented local scenery with the same formal attention he applied to more famous sites. The Bishu location gives this print a specificity rare in generalized landscape work, grounding it in a particular regional economy and geography.