Starlit Night at Miyajima (Hoshizukiyo [Miyajima]), from the series Souvenirs of Travel, Third Series (Tabi miyage dai sanshu)

Starlit Night at Miyajima is among Kawase Hasui's most enchanting nocturnal compositions, depicting the great torii gate of Itsukushima Shrine silhouetted against a star-filled sky. Created in 1928 as part of his "Souvenirs of Travel, Third Series" published by Watanabe Shozaburo, the print transforms this iconic sacred site into a vision of ethereal nighttime beauty. The massive torii gate stands in the calm waters of the Inland Sea, its dark form reflected in the still surface below while countless stars glitter overhead in a deep blue-black sky.

Night scenes presented particular technical challenges for woodblock print artists, requiring the careful building up of deep, rich darks through multiple printing passes while preserving luminous highlights for stars, moonlight, or artificial illumination. In this print, Hasui and his collaborating craftsmen achieved a remarkable depth of tone in the night sky while maintaining the individual brilliance of each star. The water surface is rendered with subtle tonal variations that suggest gentle movement and starlight reflections, creating an effect of extraordinary atmospheric beauty.

Miyajima was a subject that clearly held deep fascination for Hasui, who depicted the island's famous floating torii gate under multiple conditions — in snow, by starlight, and in various seasons. This nocturnal version offers perhaps the most romantic and spiritually evocative interpretation, with the darkness stripping away all peripheral detail to focus attention on the elemental relationship between the sacred gate, the water, and the sky. The "Souvenirs of Travel" series, which eventually encompassed multiple installments produced over many years, represents some of Hasui's most personal and artistically ambitious work, recording the impressions gathered during his extensive travels throughout Japan. Starlit Night at Miyajima stands among the finest prints in this series and remains one of the most admired nocturnal scenes in the entire shin-hanga tradition.