2017

‘The back of Fuji from the Minobu River’ print, painted by Katsushika Hokusai

46.The back of Fuji from the Minobu   The road that the travelers and horses are walking run down to the Kuonji temple, the head temple of Nichiren sect. Some of them are likely to be on their way to the temple. They are surrounded by rugged rocky mountains, and see the overlapping waves of the river on the […]

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Ukiyoe print ‘Lake Suwa in Shinano Province’, painted by Katsushika Hokusai

44.Lake Suwa in Shinano Province     In the first edition, it was a woodblock printing of a single indigo color. But every time running into several editions, green and light scarlet was added. Hereby the picture became an emotional landscape of the evening.   There is a rocky place where the shrine and two Japanese pine stands in

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Mount Fuji print ‘Dawn at Isawa in Kai Province’, painted by Katsushika Hokusai

43.Dawn at Isawa in Kai Province     Isawa is a place famous as a sightseeing spot of hot springs today, originally developed as a postal station on the Koshu Highway.   There are people who are preparing for the trip and about to depart from the station under the slightly reddish sky of the dawn.  

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‘Mount Fuji reflects in Lake Kawaguchi’, painted by Katsushika Hokusai

42.Mount Fuji reflects in Lake Kawaguchi, seen from the Misaka Pass in Kai Province   Mt. Fuji drawn from the north side looks more precipitous than any other prints in the Japanese woodcut print series of “Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji”.   Katsushika Hokusai(1760-1849) provided the original ideas to this quiet and silent ukiyo-e art. First of all, in

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Art print ‘Inume Pass, Kōshū’, painted by Katsushika Hokusai

41.Inume Pass, in Kai Province There was a post-town on the pass, and it was located on the Koshu Highway between the current Uenohara-shi and Otsuki-shi Yamanashi prefecture. The ukiyo-e artwork shows that the color of light vegetation is the early summer season, and the travelers walk ahead of massive Mt. Fuji.By the small persons and horses walking the

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Katsushika Hokusai’s art, ‘Fuji View Field in Owari Province’

40.Fuji View Field in Owari Province   The place, Fujimihara, was located on the outskirts of Nagoya-shi, Aichi prefecture, and known as a scenic spot where there are red light districts and samurai’s residences.   Many craftsmen appear in the series of “Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji”, but the ukiyo-e woodblock printing of this craftsman is said to

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Katsushika Hokusai’s artwork, ‘Yoshida at Tōkaidō’

39.Yoshida at Tōkaidō       Yoshida flourished as a castle town in Toyohashi-shi, Aichi Prefecture. The shop depicted in the Japanese woodblock printing is a tea house, “不二見茶屋”(The viewing Mt. Fuji tea house, the signboard of the center). The travelers are getting rid of their tiredness and enjoying the view.   On the large and small

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Katsushika Hokusai’s picture, ‘Mount Fuji from the Mountains of Tōtōmi’

38.Mount Fuji from the Mountains of Tōtōmi   Tōtōmi was the old name of Shizuoka Province. The craftsmen are sawing the timber with many times the height of a person.   Katsushika Hokusai placed the timber on the diagonal of the screen and created similar triangles with the wood and props. It created a unique geometric pattern.   The

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Hokusai’s ukiyo-e, The Fuji from Kanaya on the Tōkaidō

37.The Fuji from Kanaya on the Tōkaidō   Kanaya was the current Shimada-shi, Shizuoka prefecture, and the ferry landing to cross the Ooi River. Because of the defensive reasons for the Edo shogunate, they didn’t build a bridge over the river.     The Ooi river was famous for its large amount of water and difficult to cross. And this painting

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