Hokusai's Lifelong Pursuit of Artistic Mastery

HOKUSA

BY
A. HYATT MAYOR

WITH AN ESSAY BY YASUKO BETCHAKU
ASSISTANT CURATOR, DEPARTMENT OF FAR EASTERN ART

THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

The Metropolitan Museum of Art
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Bulletin
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COVER:Fujifrom Kajikazawa the provinceof Kai. FromThe -_ _~ ___
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Thirty-sixViewsof Fuji, about 1831-33.

INSIDE Fencers. Fromthe Manga,Vol. VI, 1817.
COVERS:
i
PAGES 5, 7: Galloping horse and two archers.
TITLEPAGE, 3,
Fromthe Manga,Vol. VI, 1817.Man swallowinga sword.From
the Manga,Vol. X, 1819.

ABOVE, RIGHT: Some prize-winning"talents" gluttony. A
of
tough-jawedeater bites greedilyinto a persimmonsuspendedby a
string. One glutton racesthroughbowlsof noodles; another tosses
I
whole rice cakes into his mouth. Fromthe Manga,Vol. X.

Variousmagicaltalents. A magicianturnsinto a
RIGHT:
BELOW, si -4 w
frog;another makes irisesbloom from the burningcharcoalin a
brazier; third multiplieshimself;a fourthturnssheets of paper
a " c0~~~~~
into birds. Fromthe Manga,Vol. X. i^ HE
i,

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THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART BULLETIN
Summer 1985
VolumeXLIII,Number 1 (ISSN 0026-1521)
Publishedquarterly? 1985 by The MetropolitanMuseumof Art,
FifthAvenue and 82nd Street, New York,N.Y. 10028. Second-class
postage paid at New York,N.Y. and Additional Mailing Offices.
The Metropolitan Museumof Art Bulletinis providedas a benefit to
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$18.00 a year. Single copies $4.75. Fourweeks'notice requiredfor
change of address. POSTMASTER: Send addresschanges to Mem-
bership Department, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fifth
Avenue and 82nd Street, New York, N.Y. 10028. Back issues
availableon microfilm, from University Microfilms,313 N. First
Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Volumes I-XXVIII (1905-1942)
availableas a clothbound reprintset or as individualyearlyvolumes
fromThe Ayer Company,Publishers,Inc., 99 Main Street, Salem,
N.H. 03079, or from the Museum, Box 700, Middle Village, N.Y
11379.General Managerof Publications: John P. O'Neill. Editorin
Chief of the Bulletin:Joan Holt. Editor:Joanna Ekman. Photog-
raphy by Gene C. Herbert, Metropolitan Museum Photograph
Studio. Design: Abby Goldstein. --- -- -r - -r-.-, -? --- ?

I

Additional magicaltalents. One magicianproducesa processionof small figuresfromhis sleeve; a second vanishes;a third
eats rice and exhales a swarmof bees; a fourthemergesfrom a vase; a fifth breathesout a saddledhorse;a sixth projectsa giant
face in incense smoke;a seventh swallowsa sword;an eighth poursa gushingstreamof waterfromhis cuppedhands. From
the Manga,Vol. X.

4

THE OLD MAN MAD ABOUT PAINTING

Fewartistswould at
bearlooking every fora year;
day theirwork doesnot have
ICV^S^/f/K variety personality. is not enoughmerely be great,forthe great
the and It to
painter in
mayimpound unendurably the singleness hisobsession. be
us of To
continuously interestingthrougha year's worthof pictures,an artistmust
, ' have eyes that gluttonizein everydirectionand an absolutecommand of
hand.Sucha one wasHokusai.
Hokusai bornin 1760in whatis nowTokyo.All his lifehe wasaspoor
was
who
ashisfather, polished mirrors a subsistence.
for Whenhe wasa smallboy
drawing pictures,the Japanese in
beganto printwoodcuts several colors.In
his earlyteens, Hokusai cuttingwoodblocksforpublishers, at eighteenhe started draw
was and to for
other cuttersin the studio of Shunsho. He adoptedpartof his master's name, calling himself Shunro, to
show how completelyhe succumbedto Shunsho'sratherwearystyle in printsof sulky,silken courtesans
and the actorswho impersonated them. If Hokusaihad died beforehe was forty, while still lingering in
this listless elegance, he wouldhave been forgotten. He developedlate in his eighty-nine yearsof life by
dint of makingover 10,000 woodcutsand some 30,000 to 40,000 drawings.Thus he was not altogether
assuming humility "I
whenhe said,at the ageof seventy-five: havedrawnthingssinceI wassix. All thatI
the is I
madebefore ageof sixty-five not worthcounting.At seventy-threebeganto understand true the
of
construction animals, plants,trees,birds,fishesand insects.[Heomitsmen.]At ninetyI will enter
I
intothe secretof things.At a hundred shallcertainlyhavereached magnificent
a level;andwhenI ama
hundred ten, everything-everydot, everydash-will live."
and
Hokusaidied in 1849, fouryearsbeforeCommodorePerryintroducedforeignersinto Japaneselife. For
overtwocenturies fewDutchmerchants beentolerated a three-hundred-yard
a had on rectangle earth
of
dumped into Nagasaki harborfor the confinement of outsiders. Hokusai, observing everything, once
showsa "highnose"peering of a window
out beyond board
a wall,andbeingpeeredat fromthe street.
Eventhoughthe Dutchwereforbidden crossthe narrow
to bridge the mainland,
to theirclothes,their
guns, their magnifyingglasses,and their booksdid. Hokusai,living just when Japanese ideaswere
beginning ideasfromEurope, no longerquitebelievein the fairytaleestheticsof the
to rubagainst can
LadyMurasaki thousand
a yearsbefore.Eventhe oldways representing world going,forin one
of the are
of his printsa Japanesestreetconvergesto a vanishingpoint, with figures
diminishingin the distance, just
likea platein anywesternperspectivebook.Hisstudies fatpeopleandthinpeoplecouldwellbe Diirer's
of
anatomical comparisonsset to capering.
Wheneverand wherever ideasbegin to be questioned,the unsettlinggenerates
old energy.The
breakupof ancient Japaneseideas suppliesthe motor that convulses Hokusai'swrestlers,fishermen,and
jugglers. paceof changedrives to explore
The him every doingandhappening Japanese
of dailylifeas he
sawit in his studio,the street.He is the onlyJapanese printmaker threw
who himselfinto the turmoilof
the slumsrather thanthe high-flown shamof the stage.
Hokusai traveled because traveled
fast he little morethan his brushes his paper,
light, carrying and
changing his abode ninety-three times, and as restlesslyadopting over thirty different names. As he
flew, he absorbed every style that he saw, keeping consistently only the Japanese convention that
ignores shadows. Shadows would have obstructed the racing of his line as it describes things with
disembodiedsubtlety.
5

Japaneseand Chinese artistsareable to flingout lines writhinglike stringsin the wind becausethey do
not move their brusheswith the little muscleof their fingers,as we might do, but with the largemusclesof
their arm and shoulder.Nothing touches the paperbut the brushtip that goes and goes, driven by the
dread a pausethatmightdropa blot. Sucha wayof drawing its effortin outlineandsummarizes
of puts
inner detail. The Japaneseand Chinese see no interior logic of bone and muscle in their shadowless
figures,and they escape our Greek abstractideal of the body-never realizedin nature to concentrate
theirconvention the painted of the geishaandthe actor.
on face
InJapaneseprints cleanlinesbound transparent
the the colorswithout and them-
crossing obscuring
sky tints that stain throughthe tough diaphanoustissue of the mulberrypaper.These air colors capture
the out-of-doorsfor a people who live more at the mercy of nature than we do, the rain stinging their
cheeks through the splits in their strawrain clothes, the chill in their paper houses disjointing their
In scatter andbullypeople,the snowblinds
prints,the wind-squalls
fingers. Hokusai's hats withawesome
cold. We are far from the mild valleys of classic Chinese painting, where a philosopher pauses to
contemplate the October mist on the cliffs, and time runs visibly in the rivers. Hokusai lived in the
knockaboutstruggleof today.Like Daumier,he seemed a graphicbuffoonto his contemporaries,but has
grownwiththe years a stature command.
to of
A. HYATT MAYOR

Twowomen at leisure:one reads-a tobacco pipe is on the floorbehind herthe other lies proppedon her elbows flexingher
leg and wrigglingher toes. Brushdrawingin ink.

6

NOTES ON HOKUSAI'S WOOD-BLOCK PRINTS

iE J
sL,/y Although Hokusai not liveto be one hundred
did years the ageat which
old,
he expected reach"amagnificent
to level,"the bulkof work left behindis
he
a testimonyto his remarkable achievement an artist. Even excluding
as
Hokusai'spaintings, onecaneasilyseethescopeof hiswork fromhisdrawings
.I 0
Jj^ilTO^! land in
prints,as demonstrated the following pages.
Hokusai's surviving earlyworkis mainlybook illustration surimono,
and
printsprivatelyissuedforspecialoccasionsandfrequently accompanied
by
v
-4^^^^P poems. In EhonSumidagawa Ryogan Ichiran(The PictureBookof theViews
AlongBothBanks theSumida
of River), about1801-2, Hokusaipresentsin
panoramaa continuous view of the river,beginning at the mouth and ending at the upperstream, and
closing with a scene of the Yoshiwara quarterof Edo (now Tokyo). The illustrationscontinue page by
page, in the samewaythat a scrollpainting is unrolledsection by section. Hokusainot only includes the
people engagedin differentactivities on the near shore but also incorporates distant view acrossthe
the
depictionof the farshore,thoughlessprominent, alsoseen in a single-sheet
river(p. 14).A similar is
print,Imado River 23, below).
(p.
Hokusai'ssubjects ranged from animals, plants, landscapes, and human figures to historical and
supernaturalthemes. He producedvoluminoussketchescoveringall these subjectson a tripto Nagoya in
1812, when he stayedwith one of his pupils, Gekkotei Bokusen. Fromthese drawings,craftsmenmade
printsthatwerepublished Hokusai
wood-block as in
Manga 1814(vol. 1). Further created
volumes, from
other drawings,followedin 1815-19 (vols. 2-10), 1834 (vol. 12), 1849 (vol. 13), and 1878 (vol. 15). The
datesof volumes and14arenot yetcertain.The fulltitle Denshin
11 Kaishu:
Hokusai Manga, whichmay
as manual transmitting trueimage: Hokusai
be translated "beginner's for the as wascommonly
pleases,"
knownasHokusai Manga Manga. word
or The manga denoted"amanual drawing," opposed
then of as to
its contemporary
meaningof "comics satires."
or
Manypagesof the Mangaarerandomlyfilledwith smallfigures engagedin differentactivities, a variety
of birdsand plants probablydrawnfromnature, or landscapesin all kindsof weatherconditions. Others
are more thought-out designs that could easily have become pagesof an illustratedbook (pp. 19, above
and below; 27, below; 29). The freely renderedbrushdrawingof a man riding a donkey (p. 48) shows
a striking resemblance to the images in the Manga;this or a similar drawingcould have served as a
(under-drawing) the Manga.
hanshita-e for
Among Hokusai'sother instructionalbooks was HokusaiGashiki(Methodof Drawingby Hokusai),a
selection of designs on a varietyof subjects, publishedin collaborationwith Hokusai'sOsaka pupils-
Senkakutei Hokuyo, Sekkatei Hokushufi, Shunyosai Hokky6-in 1819. In contrast to the Manga,
and
whose pagesarecrowdedwith smalldesigns, Hokusai Gashiki on each doublepage a single design that
has
clearly a in
demonstratesstyleof the master a larger
format 12).
(p.
EhonMusashi Bookof theStirrups theBraves),1836 (p. 28, below) and EhonWakan
Abumi(Picture of no
Homare and
Bookof theGloryof Japan China),
(Picture 1850(pp. 27, above;28, above)-two of three
booksgenerallyknownas the WarriorTrilogy-displaythe linearstyleoften associated
with Hokusai's
workof aroundthe 1830s. The blocks for EhonMusashiAbumiwereprobablymade about 1836 but were
not printed until after Hokusai'sdeath. Figuresare executed with fine strokes in combination with
7

accentuated contour lines, whereas landscapesare shaded with angularstrokes and dots-a common
painting wellas in Nanga,theJapanese
conventionin Chineselandscape as literati
painting by
inspired
Chinesepainting the samekind.
of
Hokusai'sspontaneousbrushwork be seennot onlyin his printed
may books,butalsoin his drawings.
He captures
playful hopping
sparrows around oldhatwiththe utmost
an simplicity economy line.
and of
The sparrows the hat are drawnwith dabsof brownwash and broadbrushstrokes
and that are contoured
withcontrasting lines (p. 13, above).
thin
for
Countless imagesproducedfor the Mangamay have servedas a groundwork Hokusai's best-known
single-sheet prints, The Thirty-six Views of Fuji, about 1831-33, where landscapebecame the major
theme for the first time in the history of Japaneseprints. Ten prints with black outlines, the so-called
"rear-view weresubsequent
Fuji," to withblueoutlines.
additions the initialset of thirty-six,
In Rainstorm BeneaththeSummit(pp. 46-47), Mt. Fujitowerspeacefullyabove the turbulentweather
suggestedby the white rainclouds and the thunderbolt.Here the majesticFujidominatesan entire scene
in whichhuman are whilein otherprints the set (pp.40-41; 44, below;
eliminated,
figures completely in
for
45) the human element is unobtrusivelypresent. In The GreatWaveoff Kanagawa, example, huge
anthropomorphicwavesappearto engulf the tiny people holding onto their wooden boats. The viewer's
eye is directed by the boats toward the left, swiftly taken upwardby the splashing waves, and then
returnedto the center where Fujistandsundisturbed beyondthe roughwaves. Other prints in the series
(pp. 33, above;34-35; 36-37; 38; 39; 42-43; 44, above)depictlandscapes activitiesof ordinary
and
people set against the familiarpresence of Mt. Fuji. Throughout the series, the viewer'sattention is
alwaysdirectedto the gracefulview of this admiredmountain, no matterhow smallFujimaybe portrayed.
In other genres, Hokusaiprovedthat birdsand flowers could be just as exciting subjectsforsingle-sheet
printsas actorsand beauties,themesfavoredby the masses.His imagesof plantsare basedupon
observation fromnature,but he goes farbeyondmorphological accuracy, his
capturing subjects' very
in
essence.In the printof irises(pp. 10-11),a senseof vibrantlife is suggested the flowers different
by
stagesof bloom, as well as by the torn leaf that mayhavebeen eaten by the grasshopper discreetly
holdingonto it.
In his lateryears,Hokusaifrequentlysought ideasfromthe classics. In one of the printsfromthe series
FamousBridgesin VariousProvinces, about 1833-34, Hokusai adopts the theme of yatsuhashi (eight-
The yatsuhashi Mikawa
plankbridge). in nowAichi prefecture, a placecelebrated the
province, was for
lovely irises surroundingthe bridge and was one of the subjects favored by artists ever since it was
mentioned in the tenth-centuryTalesof Ise, a collection of romanticepisodesin the life of a courtier.In
print (pp. 30-31), the familiar
Hokusai's zigzagpatternof the yatsuhashi slightlyalteredto forma
is
trianglein the center that echoes the shape of the mountain. Irisflowers,usuallyshown filling the space,
are reduced to scattered dots under the prominent bridge. Hokusai has replaced the Heian period
(794-1185) ideal of yatsuhashi,usuallyassociatedwith elegant court nobles and largeiris flowers,with a
genresceneof the Edoperiod(1615-1867)showing ordinary the to
peoplecrossing bridge pursue their
dailyactivities.
Anotherseries,TheHundred Poems bytheNurse,about1835-36, derives
Told of
fromananthology one
hundred poemsbyone hundred poetscompiledin 1235by the famous no Teika.Forsome
poetFujiwara
reason the serieswas never completed;twenty-eightdesignsare known to exist as prints-twenty-seven
colorandone blackandwhite-and forty-one as are Gallery. title of
designs hanshita-e in the Freer The
the seriesalong with the poet'sname and poem are presentedin a rectangleand a squarecartouche, the
shapes the sheetsof paper
of traditionally forwriting
used poems.Whetherworkers roof
repairing tiles,
hunters warming bya fire,ormenrowing
up 24-25; 33, below),the images
boats(pp.22, below; depicted
arenot thoseof the Heianperiod, thoseof Hokusai's
but own.A Winter Scene, wherestreaks smokeare
of
abstractsense of color, shape, and design, as
set againsta flatmassof blackand gray,exemplifiesHokusai's
originality-someof the qualities havegivenhis artits universal
wellas his inexhaustible that appeal.
YASUKOBETCHAKU

8

___ __ _ __I_

ABOVE: Landscapes: trees in the rain;
i
islands in the sea. Fromthe Manga,

RIGHT:Assorted leaves. Fromthe ,
Manga, Vol. III, 1815. ..'

9

Irises.Froman untitled groupknown as
flowerseries,"late 1820s.
the "large-sheet

10

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14 1

OPPOSITE, ABOVE: Birdsin flight over
reeds;cormorants,finches, and geese.
FromHokusaiGashiki,1819.

OPPOSITE, BELOW:Birdson a tree at the
water's
edge: thrushes,cranes, finches,
and geese. FromHokusaiGashiki.

ABOVE:Old hat and house sparrows.
Brushdrawingin ink and color.

RIGHT:Variousbirds. Fromthe Manga,
Vol. III.

13

__

1^1al~
f i

ABOVE: Rainbowat Mitakegura.A
showerfalls at the new YanagiBridgeover
a canal joining the SumidaRiver. Way-
farers,rushingacrossthe bridge, hastily
raiseumbrellasand cover themselves
with coats and rugs. In the backgroundis
a panoramicview of the farbank of the
Sumida. FromEhonSumidagawa Ryogan
Ichiran,about 1801-2.

OPPOSITE, ABOVE: Mount Harunain the
rain. One of a seriesof views of famous
places drawnin variousweathers.From
the Manga,Vol. VII.

OPPOSITE, BELOW: Bog rhubarb Akita
of
in the rain. Hokusaihas enlargedthe
rhubarb Akita to preposterous
of size
with leaves largeenough to serve as
umbrellas.This may be his comment on
the boastfultales of the residents. From
the Manga,Vol. VII.

14

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A gust of wind at Ejiri, in the province of
Suruga.Pale Fujiis seen from the plain.
Travelers the raisedpath throughthe
on
rice fieldsstruggleagainstthe wind.
w.
Sheets of paperare swept into the air,
.

and one man has lost his hat. FromThe
v V Thirty-sixViews of Fuji, about 1831-33.
V
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17

ABOVE: The maddeningwind. To
Hokusai, gesturesspoke louderthan
words.These studiescaricaturethe reac-
tion of the harassedpedestriansto the
unpredictablegustsof the wind. From
the Manga,Vol. XII, 1834.

OPPOSITE, ABOVE: A woman of remark-
able strength. A rearingwild horse is
held fast by the delicate high wooden
clog of the woman'ssandalon the halter
rope. The woman, oblivious of the
plunginganimal, admiresa birdflying
above the irisesin the lake. Fromthe
Manga,Vol. IX, 1819.

OPPOSITE, BELOW:Another woman of
remarkable strength. A mighty and mus-
cularwarrior pusheswith all his strength,
but the womancontinues to walk at her
relaxedand unhurriedpace. At the edge
of the path an empty sake bottle has been
stuck upsidedown on a bamboopole.
Fromthe Manga,Vol. IX.

18

1?3 - - -ICILI
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0*114W.

19

ABOVE:
OPPOSITE, Caricatures of the BELOW: Variousunseemlysights. At the
descendantsof a noble family.One figure top a man is about to commit hara-kiri
at the top paints eyebrows his fore-
on with a frog beside him. Below, a woman's
head; the other paints his lips and teeth face is unflatteringlymagnified.Top
with the aid of a magnifyingmirror.At right, a famouswrestler,Goro of Matano
the bottom a posturingdandytreadson village, makesan ostentatiousdisplayof
another'srobe, and in the center a figure strengthby lifting a boulder.Below,a
slumpslike a pile of discardedclothes. partiallyclad woman takes a pickled
Fromthe Manga,Vol. XII. radishfrom a barrel.Fromthe Manga,
Vol. XII.
OPPOSITE, BELOW:Talentsof the long-
nosed. Long-nosedtengu(monsters,half-
human, half-bird)displaytheir skills
while an equallylong-nosedwomancom-
petes with them by writingelegant cur-
sive scripton a folding screen with an ink
brushtied to the end of her nose. From
the Manga,Vol. XII.

21

I
LEFT: Thin men and thin women. In
contrast to relaxedfat people (opposite),
thin people are tense and active. They
wrestle, carryloads, work, fight, break

I crockery,and provoketrouble. Fromthe
Manga,Vol. VIII, 1818.

Twowomen in a house are look-
BELOW:
ing at the peach blossomsbelow their
porch. A workmanis throwingtiles to
another on the roof above, while a third
is laying them in position. In the dis-
tance is a well-traveledroad. FromThe
HundredPoemsTold by the Nurse,
about 1835-36.

. ,
AX-t

22

g.

Randomsketches of fat men and
LEFT:
--~^'?..--:. ./^r... fat women in various poses. The fat peo-
A -
<HSr ^BSS^ ^ ple, for the most part, relax and sleep,
read, smoke, or amusethemselves in a
i ?^" ,vj' .
^^gl---L^^^^ -- icomfortable manner. Hokusaifinds their
characterto be vastly differentfrom that
of the thin people (opposite). Fromthe
Manga,Vol. XIII, 1818.

Pottersmakingroofingtiles on
BELOW:
yVt ^9^^'. >
^iSB^Ts- ^^^^^^the bank of the ImadoRiver, a tributary
of the SumidaRiver. Early1800s.

_ i

23

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11 ;
i.p .H ., v X w. *

Illustrationof a poem by Minamoto no
Muneyuki.A winter scene in the moun-
tains. Outside a snow-coveredhut, men
warmthemselvesover a fire.

Winter loneliness in a mountain hamlet
grows
Only deeperwhen guests are gone
And leaves and grassare withered;
So runsmy thought.
FromThe HundredPoemsTold by
the Nurse.

25

ABOVE: Variousmodes of fencing. The
lances are tipped with protective
cushions. The helmeted figuresin the
center weargauntletsand wield swordsof
wood. Fromthe Manga,Vol. VI, 1817.

ABOVE:
OPPOSITE, General Nitta no
Yoshisada prayingto the dragongod in
the sea. In response, the god turned the
sea wavesinto sand, so that the general
could cross to the opposite shore. A wave
of sand following the contour of a wave
of watermay be seen in the foreground.
FromEhonWakan Homare,1850.
no

BELOW: episode in the life
OPPOSITE, An
of the Chinese warlord,Liu Hsiian-te
(A.D. 161-223). The warlord,bent low
in his saddle, plungesdown a cliff into
the foamingtorrentof the riveras he
escapesfrom his enemies. Fromthe
Manga,Vol. VI.

26

OPPOSITE, ABOVE: At the requestof the ABOVE: Sun Wu-K'ung, the legendary
emperor,Nitta no Tadatsune(d. 1203) Buddhist-follower monkey,performing
set out to slay the monsterthat was said magic. Hairsthat the monkeyhas
to inhabit the darkcavernsdeep under pluckedfromhis beardformthemselves
Fuji. Tadatsuneis shown here apparently into other monkeyscarryingstaves. On
lighting a magic torch from raysof sun- the left is the double manifestationof T'a
light reflectedon the sea. FromEhon Fei, the famouscruel and beautifulcon-
Wakan Homare.
no cubine of the last emperorof the Shang
dynasty.Her scatteredashes were said to
OPPOSITE, BELOW:
Vision of H6j6 no have turned into a many-tailedfox. From
Tokimasa(1138-1215). According to the the Manga,Vol. X.
legend, Tokimasaprayedto the Goddess
Benzaitenfor her protection. After three
weeks of incessantprayer,Tokimasa
was granteda vision of Benzaitenin the
formof a serpent. As she disappeared,
Benzaitenleft behind her three serpent
scales, which were treasuredby
Tokimasaas a pledge of divine protec-
tion. FromEhonMusashi Abumi, 1836.

29

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Yatsuhashi(The Eight-plankBridge), in
the province of Mikawa,a construction
of narrowplatformsbuilt out zigzagover a
swamp.The middle partof the bridgeis
raisedin an arch, and men and women
on differentpartsof the bridgeadmire
the iris blossomsin the waterbelow.
FromViewsof FamousBridgesin Various
Provinces, 1833-34.

31

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4 l -r ,'A ;l I ,I'.
n,
-4 f ,.
.0> _ ,
-fL
/9 e ',I ,

t k
>'ii i
I 0 * At*
It tF
0-
i

,+iw,&w~~~~~~~~~

crossingthe bay.
ABOVE:A ferryboat
Late 1790s-early 1800s.

Viewing the sunset
ABOVE:
OPPOSITE,
over Ry6gokuBridgefrom the bank of
the SumidaRiver at Ommayagashi.The
broadSumida is spannedby the great
bridge. Beyond its farend Fujirisesdark
and clear against the evening sky. From
the near shore a ferryboat of men and
full
women is startingto cross the water.
FromThe Thirty-six Viewsof Fuji.

OPPOSITE, BELOW: Illustrationof a poem
no
by Kiyowara Fukayabu. The large
prowof a pleasureboat is hung with lan-
terns, and two other boats are mooredon
the river.Silhouettes of houses are seen
on the opposite bank.

How quicklythe night flowsin summer
And dawn breaks.
Long I sought the cloud-coveredmoon.
FromThe HundredPoemsTold by the
Nurse.

32

Under Mannen Bridgeat Fukagawa. Dis-
tant Fujiis seen between the tall piersof
the wide arch of Mannen Bridgeover the
FukaRiver. People cross the bridge, a
laden boat is poled upstreamin the fore-
ground, and a man fishesfrom a rock in
the stream. FromThe Thirty-sixViews
of Fuji.
* * 1

.
I i
. I
.

I

P.

35

Ushibori in the province of Hitachi. A
largejunk is mooredamong reeds. Two
herons take wing as a man leans out of
the cabin to pourawaywaterin which
rice has been washed. In the distance
acrossthe marshesis Fuji. FromThe
Thirty-sixViewsof Fuji.

36

1- 4

;, O.4 f41
i .I- I I ,, I I
'.
1., 4F6

' - ' '.1'' ... ..,;
.W- r

1,.' t I i *'.-. r. ?1
r . 1:I- - -
4f

."... - ..

_t&- Z-
im: lrw-
.iwi

: 'r"
"I'll<

- *

144 i1!9t
..
90
lff%., 0 "rr --- 1)
, ;- r
* 9 q
. - , -i--.I
...

. d i -t!
. It _
lb .- "*
a.
lb

4.

4
*& d
a.

OMMUNNO

: : : ~~~~~~~~~~~

OPPOSITE, ABOVE: In the Totomi Moun- ABOVE: Fuji-viewFieldsin the province
tains. A huge squarelog is supported of Owari. The peak of the mountain
aslant on tall trestles;between the poles appears the horizonthroughthe circle
on
is a view of the cloud-wreathedcone of of a greatunfinishedvat upon which a
Fuji. Twomen saw,one kneeling below, cooper is at work. FromThe Thirty-six
the other standingon the log. A woman Viewsof Fuji.
and a child watch. A workmansits by a
fire, which sends up a dense column
of smoke. FromThe Thirty-sixViews
of Fuji.

OPPOSITE, BELOW:The waterwheelat
Onden. A greatwaterwheelis turnedby
a streamrunningunder it. In the fore-
grounda boy drawsa tortoise by a string,
a womancarriesa bucket, and another
womanwashesherbs in the stream.
Beyondthe streamtwo men with bundles
appearover the hill. Fujirisesover fields
and mists. FromThe Thirty-sixViews
of Fuji.

39

'a

*1k
1%y?

4r
I

K 3:Vfo

I 25I
4
I

I. - I

V I^fL-^L

m

'yf'N

_N

r
N
d

The greatwave off Kanagawa.The dark
blue watercrests above three fragile
boats, which speed like arrowsthrough
...
the troughof the wave. Fujiappears,
snow-capped,on the distant horizon.
a
* FromThe Thirty-sixViewsof Fuji.

_ .

41

ABOVE: Tatekawa Honj6. View of Fuji
at
from a lumberyardin the Honj6 district.
FromThe Thirty-sixViewsof Fuji.

ABOVE:
OPPOSITE, Sazai Hall of the Tem-
ple of the 500 Rakan. On a balcony
adjoiningthe hall of the temple, men
and women look out acrossa silver-gray
lake to Fuji. The mountain risesbeyond a
bank, which partlyhides the roofs of Edo
and the stacksof a timberyard.A man
and a woman sit on the floorof the bal-
cony restingagainstboxes containing the
imagesof Kannon, God of Mercy.From
The Thirty-sixViewsof Fuji.

BELOW:
OPPOSITE, Yoshida on the
Tokaido. A room in the Fujimitea-
house. A waitressis pointing out Fujito
two ladies seatedon the balcony of the
wide window.Two workmenare resting.
At the left are two litter bearers,one of
them softening his sandalby beating it
with a mallet. FromThe Thirty-sixViews
of Fuji.

42

t
(-W-
cY

OPPOSITE, ABOVE: Hodogayaon the
Tokaido. Fuji, blue and white, is seen
between the trunksof pines fringingthe
high road. In the foreground man leads
a
a horse riddenby a woman, and the
bearersof a litter rest. The crest of the
print publisher,Eijud6, appearson the
horse cloth. FromThe Thirty-sixViews
of Fuji.

BELOW:
OPPOSITE, Honganji Temple at
Asakusain Edo. In the foregroundis the
gable of the temple with workmenrepair-
ing the tiles of the roof. Below are the
roofs of Edo with the scaffoldingof a fire
station risingabovethem. A kite is flying
high in the air, and over floatingmist
appearsthe cone of Fuji. FromThe
Thirty-sixViewsof Fuji.

ABOVE:The Mishima Passin the
provinceof Kai. A huge cyptomeriatree
rises in the foreground,and travelersare
measuringits girth with joined hands.
FromThe Thirty-sixViewsof Fuji.

45

Rainstormbeneath the summit. A forked
flash lights up the luridgloom, and snow-
streakedFujirisesred into a clear sky
with white clouds at the horizon. From
The Thirty-sixViewsof Fuji.

I 1

?

we
_"

46

CREDITS

Unlessotherwise specified captions,all illustrations wood-
in are pp. 10-11:FrederickCharles HewittFund,1911 (JP747)
blockprints.
pp. 13,above;40-41: Bequest Mrs.
of H. 0. Havemeyer, The
1929.
Captionsof the wood-block printsother than those fromthe H. 0. Havemeyer Collection(JP1859;
Manga based descriptions Laurence
are on by Binyon.The identi- 1847)
ficationof the birds(pp. 12-13) was madeby John Bull of the pp. 14, 16-17, 36-37, 45: Purchase,
Rogers Fund,1936(JP2580;
American Museum Natural
of History. 2553;2565;2556)
Ehon MusashiAbumi: The Howard Mansfield Collection,Gift of 39:
pp. 22, below; Purchase, Fund,1936(JP2548;19)
Rogers
Howard Mansfield, 1936(Japanese illustrated no. 107)
book
p. 23, below: of Samuel
Gift 1914(JP1013)
Isham,
Ehon Wakan Homare: Howard
no The MansfieldCollection, of
Gift
Howard Mansfield, 1936(Japanese illustrated no. 110)
book pp. 24-25; 33, above; below;
33, 34-35; 38, above; below;
38, 43,
Manga, Vols.III,VII-X, XII.The Howard Mansfield
Collection, above; 46-47: The HenryL. PhillipsCollection.Bequest
44; of
Giftof Howard 1936
Mansfield, (Japanese illustrated no. 111)
book HenryL. Phillips, 1939 (JP2935;2997;2939;2983;2966;2967;
2984;2973;2961)
Manga, VI:Purchase,
Vol. Rogers Fund,1931(Japanese illustrated
bookno. 81.6) pp. 30-31; 42; 43, below;44: RogersFund,1922 (JP1398;1285;
1324;1323)
HokusaiGashiki:The HowardMansfieldCollection, Gift of
Howard 1936
Mansfield, (Japanese illustrated no. 120)
book p. 32: Purchase, Fund,1919(JP1108)
Rogers
p. 6: CharlesStewartSmith Collection, Gift of Mrs. Charles p. 48: CharlesStewartSmith Collection,Gift of Mrs.Charles
Stewart Smith, CharlesStewart Smith,Jr. and Howard Caswell Stewart Smith,Jr. and Howard
Smith, CharlesStewart Caswell
Smith;in memory Charles
of Stewart Smith,1914(14.76.60[25]) Smith;in memory Charles
of StewartSmith,1914(14.76.60[106])

THE PRINTING OF JAPANESE WOOD BLOCKS

Multicolor prints,whichoriginated 1765,werethe collabora-
in mentwasbrushed the raised
on surface the blockanda sheetof
of
who
tionof an artist,a carver, printer, a publisher, coordi-
a and paper placed was with a
overit. The paper rubbed a baren, circular
natedanddirected entireproduction. artist
the The laid
carefully padcovered withthe toughsheathof a bamboo shoot.Thispro-
his slightlymoistened drawing downon the paste-cov-
final face cesswasrepeated eachcolor.The colors
for wereprinted the
in
eredsurface a woodblock.Whenthe blockanddrawing
of were order lighter darker
of to colors.The gradual shadingoftenseen
dry,the carver away
cut parts the block,leaving linesto be
of the in representations skyandwater achieved wiping
of was by the
printed relief.The artist
in madecolornoteson monochrome blockwitha wetclothandthengoingoverthe areawitha wet
impressions madefromthiskeyblock.The monochrome impres- brush in
dipped pigment. Specialeffects,suchasembossing,
sionswereusedforcuttingadditional blocks,usually foreach
one weredonelast.
color.On every blockkento, L andhorizontal-shape
or guide
marks, werecut to register colorsin the correct
the position.Pig- Y.B.

Man ridinga donkey. Brushdrawingin ink.

41-1
W-01'

I .
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t'

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/ y

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Hokusai's Lifelong Pursuit of Artistic Mastery

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