Konoshima, from the series Inland Sea, no. 2

The subjects of Japanese landscape prints expanded beyond familiar domestic locations during different eras. In the Edo period, Katsushika Hokusai created views of the Ryūkyū Islands (modern-day Okinawa)—then an independent kingdom with ties to various East Asian cultures. By treating these distant islands with the same artistic respect given to famous Japanese locations, Hokusai helped his Japanese audience envision these unfamiliar places as part of their broader cultural world.

Later, in the early 20th century, Yoshida Hiroshi continued this tradition of depicting distant places, but with modern innovations. His sophisticated printing techniques captured subtle atmospheric effects and changing light conditions. For example, his 1941 print Tansui depicts a site in Taiwan, which, like Okinawa, was then part of the Japanese empire. Yoshida’s work thus carried forward the artistic tradition of the Eight Views while documenting Japan’s expanded imperial geography.