Wakanoura

A third recorded rendering of Wakanoura (Waka Bay) near Wakayama City, Wakayama Prefecture, one of Japan's most historically resonant coastal landscapes. Wakanoura has been celebrated as a poetic subject since its appearance in the eighth-century Man'yoshu anthology, and its canonical status as a utamakura — a place hallowed by literary association — gave the site a cultural weight that attracted printmakers and painters across centuries. Multiple treatments of Wakanoura by Hasui reflect both commercial demand for the subject and the compositional variety available from its pine-lined shores, the Tamatsushima Shrine island, and the distinctive rock formations along the bay. This later or alternative version may emphasize a seasonal variation — winter pine branches, autumn haze over the water — or reflect technical adjustments made during re-cutting of a block for continued print runs.