Winter Moon over Toyama Plain (Fuyu no tsuki (Toyamagahara))

A deep indigo night sky forms the backdrop for a full white moon, partly veiled by the dark silhouettes of tall, wind-bent pine trees whose thin trunks and sparse branches cross the upper half of the composition. Below, a flat grassy plain stretches toward a low line of distant trees, with two small pale lantern-like lights glowing near the ground and a dark pool of water in the foreground reflecting the pale sky. The palette is limited to deep blues, black silhouettes, and muted greens, giving the scene a quiet, still, nocturnal mood; text and a red seal appear in the right margin. (Kawase Hasui, "Winter Moon over Toyama Plain (Fuyu no tsuki (Toyamagahara))," 1931, color woodblock print.)