Noto Nanao Mirage — 能登七尾蜃気楼

A second version of the Noto Nanao Mirage subject (能登七尾蜃気楼), this print depicts the atmospheric phenomenon observed over Nanao Bay on the Noto Peninsula. The existence of two prints on this subject suggests either different editions produced at different dates, variations in the printing — including possible differences in the bokashi gradation of the sky and water — or alternate compositions showing the same mirage from different vantage points along the bay. The shinkirô effect was understood in Meiji Japan through the lens of both traditional lore and Western meteorological science, giving such depictions a dual appeal as both natural wonder and scientific curiosity. Kiyochika's interest in liminal atmospheric conditions — neither fully dark nor fully light, neither solid nor transparent — finds a natural subject in the mirage, which occupies an equivalent visual zone between presence and illusion. The print likely employs soft bokashi gradations in pale grey and lavender to render the elevated phantom landscape hovering above the bay's actual horizon.