Starlit Night at Miyajima (Hoshizukiyo [Miyajima])

This print, identified by its Japanese subtitle Hoshizukiyo (Miyajima) — 星月夜（宮島） — depicts Itsukushima Shrine under a clear starlit sky, the condition that gives the composition its name. Hoshizukiyo denotes a night bright with starlight but without moon, and Hasui used the visual conditions of such nights — darkness, pinprick stars, still reflective water — to create some of his most atmospheric nocturnal compositions. The torii gate of Itsukushima, standing in the tidal inlet south of the main shrine buildings, dominates the middle ground, its vermilion form rendered in warm contrast to the cool indigo of night sky and water. The lit lanterns along the shrine corridors create horizontal bands of warm ochre that anchor the lower register. Published by Watanabe Shozaburo, this print exemplifies Hasui's mastery of nocturnal meisho-e within the shin-hanga tradition.