Uchiyamashita, Okayama, from the series Selected Views of Japan (NIhon fûkei senshû)

A third catalogued version of Hasui's Uchiyamashita, Okayama composition from the Nihon fûkei senshû series, this print reflects the commercial reprinting history common to successful shin-hanga subjects. Compositions issued by Watanabe Shozaburo were sometimes reprinted over two or more decades, occasionally with alterations to color blocks, sky gradations, or carving details as original blocks wore or were replaced, producing states distinguishable by specialists through close comparison of chromatic and tonal qualities. This version is differentiated in catalog records by title orthography from its two companion prints. The underlying composition depicts a Okayama streetscape in the lower district below the castle hill, rendered with the precise atmospheric observation that characterizes Hasui's regional survey prints. Gradated grey-blue or pale-sky bokashi printed on dampened washi conveys the overcast quality common to many of his provincial subjects, avoiding the high drama of more touristically prominent sites.