Souvenirs of Travel, Third Series: Kozu, Osaka (purple on horizon) (Tabi miyage dai sanshu: Kozu, Osaka)

This view of Kozu, a historic district in southern Osaka near Shitennoji temple, belongs to Hasui's Tabi miyage dai sanshu (Souvenirs of Travel, Third Series), published by Watanabe Shozaburo around 1922. The subtitle distinguishing this impression as the "purple on horizon" variant indicates a color-state difference from the standard edition: the bokashi gradation along the horizon shifts toward violet rather than the more common orange or gold, suggesting a different atmospheric moment—likely a deeper twilight or hazy dusk. Such color variants within a single design were not uncommon in shin-hanga publishing, where carvers could pull impressions with subtle ink adjustments. The Kozu district, historically associated with temple precincts and merchant neighborhoods along Osaka's waterway network, likely provided Hasui with canal views and low architectural silhouettes characteristic of his meisho-e approach to urban landscape.