Kawase Hasui - Hayama in Iyo (1934)

Experience the serene beauty of Japan's Inland Sea coast with Kawase Hasui's "Hayama in Iyo" (1934), a masterful shin-hanga composition that captures the timeless rhythm of maritime life at twilight. This museum-quality reproduction presents one of Hasui's most evocative seascapes, where sailing vessels rest in calm waters beneath a sky ablaze with sunset colors.

This exceptional print showcases Hasui's sophisticated approach to maritime subjects, a theme he explored extensively throughout his career. Two wooden sailing boats dominate the middle ground, their dark masts rising like calligraphic brush strokes against a luminous coral-pink sky. The vessels appear to float in perfect stillness, suggesting the quiet moment after fishing boats return to harbor and before night fully descends.

The composition is structured through elegant horizontal bands that guide the eye from foreground to distance. The immediate foreground features a weathered wooden pier or dock structure, its diagonal lines providing dynamic contrast to the horizontal water and sky. Beyond the boats, a silhouetted coastal village with traditional Japanese architecture creates a middle ground, while a distinctive tree-crowned rocky outcrop punctuates the right side of the composition—possibly a small shrine island characteristic of the Seto Inland Sea region.

The color palette demonstrates Hasui's mastery of atmospheric effects. The sky transitions from deep coral-pink along the horizon to softer lavender-gray above, while the water reflects these tones in muted, darker values. The silhouetted landforms are rendered in graduated charcoal gray to near-black, creating dramatic contrast with the illuminated sky. This interplay of light and shadow captures the specific quality of nautical twilight, when the sun has set but ambient light still fills the sky.

Created in 1934 as part of Hasui's systematic documentation of Japan's coastal regions, this print depicts Hayama in the former Iyo Province (modern Ehime Prefecture on Shikoku island). The Seto Inland Sea area was crucial to Japan's traditional fishing and shipping industries, and Hasui's work preserves these scenes of working watercraft before mechanization transformed maritime culture.

The print exemplifies shin-hanga's technical sophistication. Multiple woodblocks were required to achieve the subtle sky gradations, the precise silhouetting of the boats and buildings, and the complex tonal variations in the water. The printer's skill is particularly evident in the bokashi technique used for the sky, creating seamless color transitions that suggest infinite atmospheric depth.

Beyond its technical excellence, the print embodies Japanese aesthetic concepts of shizukesa (quietude) and wabi-sabi (beauty in imperfection and transience). The weathered dock posts, the humble fishing boats, the fading light—all speak to the beauty found in everyday working life and nature's eternal cycles.

This reproduction preserves every nuance of Hasui's original design, from the delicate sky tones to the intricate silhouettes that make this composition so visually striking. It represents maritime shin-hanga at its finest, offering both documentary value and profound aesthetic pleasure.

Ideal for collectors of maritime art, Japanese coastal scenes, or anyone drawn to the contemplative beauty of twilight seascapes. This piece brings the tranquil atmosphere of 1930s Inland Sea fishing villages into contemporary spaces.

Artist: Kawase Hasui (川瀬 巴水) Date: 1934 Location: Hayama, Iyo Province (Ehime Prefecture), Shikoku Subject: Maritime sunset scene with fishing boats Region: Seto Inland Sea