Snow at Shinobazu Benten Shrine

Shinobazu Pond in Ueno, Tokyo, contains a small island at its center on which stands the octagonal Benten-do, a shrine dedicated to Benzaiten, one of the seven gods of fortune. Hasui returned to this subject across multiple editions, drawn by the compositional opportunity the island shrine offered: an architectural focal point surrounded by water, approached by a causeway, with the broad expanse of the pond and distant parkland framing the structure. In a winter snow composition, the Benten-do's curved roof carries accumulated snow, and the frozen or partially frozen pond surface reflects grey sky and the bare branches of nearby trees. This fifth recorded state of the composition suggests the design was a sustained commercial success across multiple production runs. Each successive printing state may show variations in the condition of the carved blocks or in the color palette, particularly in the sky bokashi gradation and the treatment of the water surface. The Ueno location and Buddhist shrine subject aligned well with both domestic and export collector interest in Hasui's work.