Spring Snow, Kiyomizu Temple, Kyoto

Among the several impressions and editions Hasui produced of Kiyomizu-dera in spring snow, this version with the shortened title format may represent a reissue or a different publisher's edition. The subject — Japan's most celebrated hillside temple viewed through snowfall — was among Hasui's most commercially successful Kyoto compositions. The print likely emphasizes the drama of the cantilevered stage against a pale, snow-laden sky, with pilgrims or bare cherry trees providing scale. Spring snow at Kiyomizu held particular resonance in Japanese culture: the fleeting overlap of late winter cold and early spring growth mirrors the Buddhist themes of impermanence associated with the temple.