The Kayagafuchi Rapids in Nagato Gorge (Nagato-kyô Kayagafuchi), from the series Selected Views of Japan (Nihon fûkei senshû)

Kawase Hasui's Kayagafuchi Rapids in Nagato Gorge (Nagato-kyō Kayagafuchi), from the series Selected Views of Japan (Nihon fūkei senshū), depicts a turbulent section of the Oi River as it passes through Nagato-kyō, a gorge in Kyoto Prefecture known for its dramatic scenery. Kayagafuchi designates a specific pool and rapids formation where the river accelerates between narrow rock channels, generating the white-capped water that provides the print's dynamic focal point. Rendering fast-moving water in woodblock print required careful gradation to distinguish the white foam of broken rapids from the deeper blue-green of calmer pools upstream and downstream. Steep gorge walls rising on either side would be rendered in layered mineral greens, their forested surfaces providing vertical framing for the turbulent water below. The Selected Views series extended Hasui's documentary program to less-visited natural landscapes, situating the Nagato gorge within a broader survey of Japanese scenic geography beyond the canonical Kyoto circuit.