Hitachi Ushibori
Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji
Katsushika Hokusai
Artwork Description
This print portrays Ushibori, a waterside settlement at the southern edge of Lake Kasumigaura. During the Edo period, the area functioned as a vital waterway linking inland regions to ports such as Kashima and Chōshi. Boats moved constantly across these waters, carrying goods and people through an intricate network of trade.
Hokusai constructs the composition around the bold diagonal of a large vessel’s bow dominating the foreground. The prow rises sharply across the picture plane, creating a powerful structural anchor. Beneath a small roofed cabin, crew members begin their morning routine. One figure pours rice-washing water overboard, a simple domestic gesture that animates the scene.
The splash startles two white egrets, which lift into flight. This small disturbance introduces motion within the otherwise calm morning atmosphere. The lake surface remains expansive and open, while Mount Fuji appears in the distance—stable, distant, and unaffected by the daily rhythm unfolding below.
Unlike dramatic works such as The Great Wave or Sanka Hakū, this composition emphasizes quiet vitality. The geometry of the ship contrasts with the open horizontal expanse of water. Human life unfolds within nature’s vast setting, neither overwhelmed nor dominant.
Through the interplay of structure, movement, and stillness, Hokusai transforms a modest waterside moment into a study of daily continuity beneath the eternal presence of Fuji.
About Katsushika Hokusai
Katsushika Hokusai was one of the most influential ukiyo-e artists of the Edo period. Active as both painter and printmaker, he expanded ukiyo-e beyond portraits of actors and courtesans into landscapes, nature, and scenes of daily life.
His series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji marked a transformative moment in Japanese printmaking. Through bold compositional devices and inventive spatial construction, Hokusai redefined landscape as both lived experience and visual philosophy.
Reproduction
This work is a 20th century lithographic reproduction of Hokusai’s Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji.
It is not an original Edo period woodblock print, but a later limited edition lithograph.
Hand printed and numbered 180/300 in pencil on the lower margin.
Details
Medium: Lithograph
Edition: 180/300
Size: 410 mm × 600 mm
All artworks are sold as shown in the photographs.
