The Yama Temple, Yamagata

Yamadera (山寺), formally Risshakuji Temple, occupies a dramatic position on the cliffs above the Tachiya River valley in Yamagata Prefecture, its subsidiary halls clinging to rock faces above a canopy of ancient cedars. Founded in 860 by the monk Jikaku Daishi, the complex is ascended via a stone stairway of more than a thousand steps. The site is also associated with Matsuo Bashō, who visited in 1689 and composed one of his most celebrated haiku there. Hasui's composition—likely a vertical oban format—positions the temple structures against steep cliff faces and surrounding foliage, using graduated bokashi in the sky to convey the elevation and solitude of the mountain setting. Rocky outcroppings are rendered with textured block work, contrasting with the smooth atmospheric gradations of sky and valley mist below. The print belongs to Hasui's extensive survey of Japanese temple and shrine scenery produced through the Watanabe Shōzaburō publishing house.