"The Lake of Hakone in Sagami Province" from 36 views of Mt.Fuji series by Hokusai

Description : 

Katsushika Hokusai’s “The Lake at Hakone in Sagami Province” (Sōshū Hakone kosui) depicts the serene expanse of Lake Ashi in Hakone, located in present-day Kanagawa Prefecture. Created around 1830–32 for Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, the print captures an unusually tranquil moment in Hokusai’s oeuvre. The calm surface of the lake mirrors the contours of the surrounding hills, while Mount Fuji rises quietly in the distance under a band of stylized suyari-gasumi clouds.

Unlike Hokusai’s more dynamic compositions—filled with movement, figures, and architectural rhythm—this image deliberately eliminates all sources of tension: no people, no boats, no wind, and no waves. The vertical rhythm of cedar trees and the horizontal lines of clouds create a formal equilibrium, evoking stillness and spiritual order. Even scale is flattened; the mountain, the lake, and the land coexist on nearly equal terms, erasing any hierarchy of subject.

This conscious subtraction transforms the landscape into a visual meditation. Hokusai, who mastered drama through movement, here experiments by removing it entirely. In doing so, he reveals a different form of power—the sacred calm that follows struggle. The work invites contemplation of the unseen: the steep roads leading to Hakone, the arduous journey that culminates in silence. The result is both landscape and philosophy, an image of serenity that reflects Japan’s mountain faith and the timeless connection between stillness and strength.

Hokusai Katsushika : 
Known simply as Hokusai, was a Japanese Ukiyo-e artist of the Edo period, active as a painter and printmaker. 
He is best known for the woodblock print series Thirty six views of Mt Fuji, which includes the iconic print The Great Wave Off Kanagawa. Hokusai was instrumental in developing Ukiyo-e from a style of portraiture largely focused on courtesans and actors into a much broader style of art that focused on landscapes, plants, and animals. His works are thought to have had a significant influence on Vincent Van Gogh and Claude Monete during the wave of Japonism that spread across Europe in the late 19th century.

REPRODUCTION : In the 20th century, artists and publishers collaborated to recreate famous woodblock prints, providing them to Japanese collectors and Westerners seeking rare designs.
New blocks were made, and artisan printers painstakingly printed each color using the same method as the 19th-century originals.

Limited edition lithograph
Hand-printed, numbered 180/300 on margin.
Size : 
410mm x 600mm