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

is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve, and extend access to
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 The Metropolitan Museum of Art
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COVER:Fujifrom Kajikazawain the provinceof Kai. FromThe -_ _~ ___
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Thirty-sixViewsof Fuji, about 1831-33.

INSIDECOVERS:Fencers. Fromthe Manga,Vol. VI, 1817.

i
TITLEPAGE,PAGES3, 5, 7: Galloping horse and two archers.
Fromthe Manga,Vol. VI, 1817.Man swallowinga sword.From
the Manga,Vol. X, 1819.

ABOVE, RIGHT: Some prize-winning"talents"of gluttony. A

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.

BELOW,RIGHT:Variousmagicaltalents. A magicianturns into a si -4 w

frog;another makes irisesbloom from the burningcharcoalin a
brazier;a third multiplieshimself;a fourthturnssheets of paper " c0~~~~~
into birds. Fromthe Manga,Vol. X. i^ HE
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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
Museum members and available by subscription. Subscriptions
$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

Fewartistswouldbearlookingateverydayfora year;theirworkdoesnot have

ICV^S^/f/Kthe varietyandpersonality.It is not enoughmerelyto be great,forthe great
paintermayimpoundusunendurably in the singlenessof hisobsession.Tobe
continuouslyinterestingthrougha year'sworthof pictures,an artistmust
, ' have eyes that gluttonizein everydirectionand an absolutecommandof
hand.Sucha one wasHokusai.
Hokusaiwasbornin 1760in whatis nowTokyo.All his lifehe wasaspoor
ashisfather,whopolishedmirrors fora subsistence.Whenhe wasa smallboy
the
drawingpictures, Japanese began to printwoodcutsin severalcolors.In
his earlyteens, Hokusaiwascuttingwoodblocksforpublishers,andat eighteenhe startedto drawfor
other cuttersin the studio of Shunsho. He adoptedpartof his master'sname, calling himself Shunro, to
show how completelyhe succumbedto Shunsho'sratherwearystyle in printsof sulky,silken courtesans
and the actorswho impersonatedthem. 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
assuminghumilitywhenhe said,at the ageof seventy-five: "IhavedrawnthingssinceI wassix. All thatI
madebeforethe ageof sixty-fiveis not worthcounting.At seventy-threeI beganto understand the true
constructionof animals,plants,trees,birds,fishesand insects.[Heomitsmen.]At ninetyI will enter
intothe secretof things.At a hundredI shallcertainlyhavereacheda magnificent
level;andwhenI ama
hundredandten, everything-everydot, everydash-will live."
Hokusaidied in 1849, fouryearsbeforeCommodorePerryintroducedforeignersinto Japaneselife. For
overtwocenturiesa fewDutchmerchantshadbeentoleratedon a three-hundred-yard
rectangleof earth
dumped into Nagasaki harborfor the confinement of outsiders. Hokusai, observing everything, once
showsa "highnose"peeringout of a windowbeyonda boardwall,andbeingpeeredat fromthe street.
Eventhoughthe Dutchwereforbiddento crossthe narrowbridgeto the mainland,theirclothes,their
guns, their magnifyingglasses,and their booksdid. Hokusai,living just when Japaneseideaswere
beginningto rubagainstideasfromEurope,can no longerquitebelievein the fairytaleestheticsof the
LadyMurasaki a thousandyearsbefore.Eventhe oldwaysof representingthe worldaregoing,forin one
of his printsa Japanesestreetconvergesto a vanishingpoint, with figuresdiminishingin the distance, just
likea platein anywesternperspectivebook.Hisstudiesof fatpeopleandthinpeoplecouldwellbe Diirer's
anatomicalcomparisons set to capering.
Wheneverand whereverold ideasbegin to be questioned,the unsettlinggeneratesenergy.The
breakupof ancient Japaneseideas suppliesthe motor that convulses Hokusai'swrestlers,fishermen,and
jugglers.The paceof changedriveshimto exploreeverydoingandhappeningof Japanesedailylifeas he
whothrewhimselfinto the turmoilof
sawit in his studio,the street.He is the onlyJapaneseprintmaker
the slumsratherthanthe high-flownshamof the stage.
Hokusaitraveledfastbecausehe traveledlight, carryinglittle morethan his brushesandhis paper,
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
dreadof a pausethatmightdropa blot. Sucha wayof drawingputsits effortin outlineandsummarizes
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
theirconventionon the paintedfaceof the geishaandthe actor.
InJapaneseprintsthe cleanlinesboundthe transparentcolorswithoutcrossingandobscuringthem-
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
fingers.In Hokusai's scatterhatsandbullypeople,the snowblindswithawesome
prints,the wind-squalls
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 yearsto a statureof command.
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
sL,/y
J AlthoughHokusaididnot liveto be one hundredyearsold, the ageat which
he expectedto reach"amagnificentlevel,"the bulkof workhe left behindis
a testimonyto his remarkableachievementas an artist. Even excluding
Hokusai'spaintings,onecaneasilyseethescopeof hisworkfromhisdrawings
.I 0
Jj^ilTO^! landprints,as demonstratedin the followingpages.
Hokusai'ssurvivingearlyworkis mainlybook illustrationand surimono,
printsprivatelyissuedforspecialoccasionsandfrequentlyaccompaniedby
v
-4^^^^P poems. In EhonSumidagawa RyoganIchiran(The PictureBookof theViews
AlongBothBanksof theSumidaRiver),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 Yoshiwaraquarterof 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 incorporatesthe distant view acrossthe
river(p. 14).A similardepictionof the farshore,thoughlessprominent,is alsoseen in a single-sheet
print,ImadoRiver(p. 23, below).
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
wood-blockprintsthatwerepublishedasHokusaiMangain 1814(vol. 1). Furthervolumes,createdfrom
other drawings,followedin 1815-19 (vols. 2-10), 1834 (vol. 12), 1849 (vol. 13), and 1878 (vol. 15). The
datesof volumes11and14arenot yetcertain.The fulltitle DenshinKaishu:HokusaiManga,whichmay
manualfortransmitting
be translatedas "beginner's the trueimage:as Hokusaipleases,"wascommonly
knownasHokusaiMangaorManga.The wordmangathendenoted"amanualof drawing," as opposedto
its contemporary meaningof or
"comics satires."
Manypagesof the Mangaarerandomlyfilledwith smallfiguresengagedin 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
hanshita-e forthe Manga.
(under-drawing)
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,and Shunyosai Hokky6-in 1819. In contrast to the Manga,
whose pagesarecrowdedwith smalldesigns, HokusaiGashikihas on each doublepage a single design that
a styleof the masterin a largerformat(p. 12).
clearlydemonstrates
EhonMusashiAbumi(PictureBookof theStirrupsof theBraves),1836 (p. 28, below) and EhonWakanno
Homare(PictureBookof theGloryof JapanandChina),1850(pp. 27, above;28, above)-two of three
booksgenerallyknownas the WarriorTrilogy-displaythe linearstyleoften associatedwith 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
conventionin Chineselandscapepaintingas wellas in Nanga,theJapaneseliteratipaintinginspiredby
Chinesepaintingof the samekind.
Hokusai'sspontaneousbrushwork maybe seennot onlyin his printedbooks,butalsoin his drawings.
hoppingaroundan oldhatwiththe utmostsimplicityandeconomyof line.
He capturesplayfulsparrows
The sparrowsand the hat are drawnwith dabsof brownwash and broadbrushstrokesthat are contoured
withcontrastingthin lines (p. 13, above).
Countless imagesproducedfor the Mangamay have servedas a groundworkfor Hokusai'sbest-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
Fuji,"weresubsequentadditionsto the initialset of thirty-six,withblueoutlines.
"rear-view
In RainstormBeneaththeSummit(pp. 46-47), Mt. Fujitowerspeacefullyabove the turbulentweather
suggestedby the white rainclouds and the thunderbolt.Here the majesticFujidominatesan entire scene
in whichhumanfiguresarecompletelyeliminated,whilein otherprintsin the set (pp.40-41; 44, below;
45) the human element is unobtrusivelypresent. In The GreatWaveoff Kanagawa,for 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 Fujistandsundisturbedbeyondthe roughwaves. Other prints in the series
(pp. 33, above;34-35; 36-37; 38; 39; 42-43; 44, above)depictlandscapesand activitiesof ordinary
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 flowerscould be just as exciting subjectsforsingle-sheet
printsas actorsand beauties,themesfavoredby the masses.His imagesof plantsare basedupon
observationfromnature,but he goes farbeyondmorphologicalaccuracy,capturinghis subjects'very
essence.In the printof irises(pp. 10-11),a senseof vibrantlife is suggestedby the flowersin different
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-
in Mikawaprovince,nowAichi prefecture,wasa placecelebratedforthe
plankbridge).The yatsuhashi
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
is slightlyalteredto forma
Hokusai'sprint (pp. 30-31), the familiarzigzagpatternof the yatsuhashi
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)showingordinarypeoplecrossingthe bridgeto pursuetheir
dailyactivities.
Anotherseries,TheHundred PoemsToldbytheNurse,about1835-36, derivesfromananthologyof one
hundredpoemsbyone hundred no Teika.Forsome
poetscompiledin 1235by the famouspoetFujiwara
reason the serieswas never completed;twenty-eightdesignsare known to exist as prints-twenty-seven
arein the FreerGallery.The title of
colorandone blackandwhite-and forty-onedesignsas hanshita-e
the seriesalong with the poet'sname and poem are presentedin a rectangleand a squarecartouche, the
usedforwritingpoems.Whetherworkersrepairingrooftiles,
shapesof the sheetsof papertraditionally
hunterswarmingupbya fire,ormenrowingboats(pp.22, below;24-25; 33, below),the imagesdepicted
arenot thoseof the Heianperiod,butthoseof Hokusai'sown.A WinterScene,wherestreaksof smokeare
set againsta flatmassof blackand gray,exemplifiesHokusai'sabstractsense of color, shape, and design, as
originality-someof the qualitiesthathavegivenhis artits universalappeal.
wellas his inexhaustible
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
the "large-sheetflowerseries,"late 1820s.

10
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OPPOSITE, ABOVE: Birdsin flight over

reeds;cormorants,finches, and geese.
FromHokusaiGashiki,1819.

OPPOSITE,BELOW:Birdson a tree at the

water'sedge: 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 rhubarbof Akita

in the rain. Hokusaihas enlargedthe
rhubarbof Akita to preposteroussize
with leaves largeenough to serve as
umbrellas.This may be his comment on
the boastfultales of the residents. From
the Manga,Vol. VII.

14
I

15
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 A gust of wind at Ejiri, in the province of
Suruga.Pale Fujiis seen from the plain.
Travelerson the raisedpath throughthe
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.
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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

remarkablestrength. A mighty and mus-
cularwarriorpusheswith 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
C)
OPPOSITE,ABOVE: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 eyebrowson his fore- 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.

BELOW:Twowomen in a house are look-

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.

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

_ i

23
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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.

OPPOSITE,ABOVE:General Nitta no
Yoshisadaprayingto 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.
FromEhonWakanno Homare,1850.

An episode in the life

OPPOSITE,BELOW:
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
I
Ii

27
 "s,I

28
OPPOSITE, ABOVE: At the requestof the ABOVE: Sun Wu-K'ung, the legendary
emperor,Nitta no Tadatsune(d. 1203) Buddhist-followermonkey,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-
Wakanno Homare. 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. FromEhonMusashiAbumi, 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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ABOVE:A ferryboatcrossingthe bay.

Late 1790s-early 1800s.

OPPOSITE,ABOVE:Viewing the sunset

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 ferryboatfull of men and
women is startingto cross the water.
FromThe Thirty-six Viewsof Fuji.

OPPOSITE, BELOW: Illustrationof a poem

by Kiyowarano 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
___ wV -j
 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
.

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
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 OMMUNNO

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

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1%y?

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I

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I 25I
4
I

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V I^fL-^L

'yf'N

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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: Tatekawaat Honj6. View of Fuji
from a lumberyardin the Honj6 district.
FromThe Thirty-sixViewsof Fuji.

OPPOSITE,ABOVE: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.

OPPOSITE,BELOW:
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
r It
I I . I ;'

43
 t
(-W-cY

OPPOSITE, ABOVE: Hodogayaon the

Tokaido. Fuji, blue and white, is seen
between the trunksof pines fringingthe
high road. In the foregrounda man leads
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.

OPPOSITE,BELOW: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
 /
-

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NR
 CREDITS
arewood-
Unlessotherwisespecifiedin captions,all illustrations
blockprints.
Captionsof the wood-blockprintsother than those fromthe
Mangaarebasedon descriptions by LaurenceBinyon.The identi-
ficationof the birds(pp. 12-13) was madeby John Bull of the
AmericanMuseumof NaturalHistory.
EhonMusashiAbumi:The HowardMansfieldCollection,Gift of
HowardMansfield,1936(Japanese illustratedbookno. 107)
EhonWakan noHomare: The HowardMansfield Collection,Giftof
HowardMansfield,1936(Japanese illustratedbookno. 110)
Manga,Vols.III,VII-X, XII.The HowardMansfieldCollection,
Giftof HowardMansfield,1936(Japanese bookno. 111)
illustrated
Manga, Vol. VI: Purchase,
Rogers Fund, 1931 (Japaneseillustrated
bookno. 81.6)
HokusaiGashiki:The HowardMansfieldCollection, Gift of
HowardMansfield,1936(Japanese illustratedbookno. 120)
p. 6: CharlesStewartSmith Collection, Gift of Mrs. Charles
StewartSmith, CharlesStewartSmith,Jr. and HowardCaswell
Smith;in memoryof CharlesStewartSmith,1914(14.76.60[25])
THE PRINTING OF JAPANESE WOOD BLOCKS
Multicolorprints,whichoriginatedin 1765,werethe collabora-
whocoordi-
tionof an artist,a carver,a printer,anda publisher,
natedanddirectedthe entireproduction.The artistcarefullylaid
his slightlymoistenedfinaldrawingfacedownon the paste-cov-
eredsurfaceof a woodblock.Whenthe blockanddrawingwere
dry,the carvercut awaypartsof the block,leavingthe linesto be
printedin relief.The artistmadecolornoteson monochrome
impressions madefromthiskeyblock.The monochrome impres-
sionswereusedforcuttingadditionalblocks,usuallyone foreach
color.On everyblockkento,orL andhorizontal-shape guide
marks,werecut to registerthe colorsin the correctposition.Pig-
Man ridinga donkey. Brushdrawingin ink.
pp. 10-11:FrederickCharlesHewittFund,1911(JP747)
1929.The
pp. 13,above;40-41: Bequestof Mrs.H. 0. Havemeyer,
H. 0. Havemeyer Collection(JP1859;
1847)
pp. 14, 16-17, 36-37, 45: Purchase,RogersFund,1936(JP2580;
2553;2565;2556)
pp. 22, below;39: Purchase,RogersFund,1936(JP2548;19)
p. 23, below:Giftof SamuelIsham,1914(JP1013)
pp. 24-25; 33, above;33, below;34-35; 38, above;38, below;43,
above;44; 46-47: The HenryL. PhillipsCollection.Bequestof
HenryL. Phillips, 1939 (JP2935;2997;2939;2983;2966;2967;
2984;2973;2961)
pp. 30-31; 42; 43, below;44: RogersFund,1922 (JP1398;1285;
1324;1323)
p. 32: Purchase,RogersFund,1919(JP1108)
p. 48: CharlesStewartSmith Collection,Gift of Mrs.Charles
StewartSmith, CharlesStewartSmith,Jr. and HowardCaswell
Smith;in memoryof CharlesStewartSmith,1914(14.76.60[106])
mentwasbrushedon the raisedsurfaceof the blockanda sheetof
paperplacedoverit. The paperwasrubbedwitha baren,a circular
padcoveredwiththe toughsheathof a bambooshoot.Thispro-
cesswasrepeatedforeachcolor.The colorswereprintedin the
orderof lighterto darkercolors.The gradualshadingoftenseen
in representationsof skyandwaterwasachievedbywipingthe
blockwitha wetclothandthengoingoverthe areawitha wet
brushdippedin pigment.Specialeffects,suchasembossing,
weredonelast.
Y.B.
 41-1
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