Snow in the province of Matsushima

Matsushima Bay in Miyagi Prefecture, traditionally counted among Japan's three most celebrated views (nihon sankei), presented Hasui with one of the country's most recognizable landscapes. The bay contains roughly 260 pine-covered islands of varying size, and in winter, snow on the dark pines against gray water and sky produces the chromatic contrast Hasui's printmaking technique handled with particular skill. This composition likely features the distinctive silhouettes of Matsushima's pine-covered islets with accumulated snow on their branches, the pale oban sheet becoming the snow itself while ink blocks supply the dark pine forms and winter water. Hasui visited Matsushima as part of his Tohoku travel programs, and the site appears in multiple series contexts. The famous Zuiganji Temple at Matsushima may also feature in the background, its white-walled structures merging with the surrounding snow.