Snowy Inokashira, Benten

As one of the most frequently reprinted subjects in Hasui's catalog, the snowy Inokashira Benten composition appeared in numerous editions spanning the Taisho and Showa periods, each produced under Watanabe Shozaburo's direction and later his successors'. This fifth catalogued impression may derive from a late reprint, when the wood blocks had accumulated printing wear and required re-cutting or supplementation. In later edition prints, fine detail in the key block — branch tips, shingle texture, shrine joinery — can show softening compared to early impressions, while pigment choices sometimes shift toward warmer or cooler tonal ranges depending on the printer's materials. The Inokashira Benten image in snow became closely associated with Hasui's output and appeared in retrospective catalogs and museum collections, cementing its status as among his canonical winter landscapes of the Tokyo area.