Tsuta Hotspring, Mutsu Province

Tsuta Onsen in Mutsu Province (present-day Aomori Prefecture) is one of the subjects Hasui returned to across multiple series and formats, drawn by the distinctive combination of ancient timber architecture and surrounding northern forest. This print likely depicts the main inn building or bath-house structures observed from a slight distance, allowing the proportional relationship between the low human-built forms and the tall surrounding beeches to register. Steam rising from outdoor or semi-enclosed bathing areas might provide atmospheric diffusion that softens outlines in the middle ground, a vaporous effect requiring graduated bokashi from the printer and close collaboration between artist, carver, and printer within the Watanabe atelier. The muted, layered palette of the beech forest interior—cool greens, grey-browns, pale sky glimpsed through canopy—distinguishes these works from Hasui's more dramatically lit coastal or snow subjects and reflects his range as a landscape artist across seasons and regions.