Ukijima, Ryujo, Ibaragi, Ukishima- Yanaginawa

Hasui's print depicts the Ukishima district of Ibaraki Prefecture — a flat marshland plain near the Pacific coast characterized by slow-moving canals and willow-lined waterways. The title references Yanaginawa (willow river), describing the specific landscape type of willows trailing over the water's edge, a subject that recurs in Hasui's survey of eastern Japan's wetland geography. The flat, water-laced terrain of this region offered a landscape of horizontal spaciousness distinct from the mountain scenery, castle towns, and coastal headlands more common in his catalog. Compositional structure relies on layered horizontal bands: willow and reed reflections in the foreground water, open canal in the middle ground, low-lying land beyond, and sky above. Multi-block bokashi across both water and sky surfaces required careful control of dampness and pigment density to maintain the soft tonal gradations that define Hasui's treatment of open, low-contrast landscapes. This is the first of three catalogued versions.