Artist: Katsushika Hokusai
Title: Nihonbashi: Two Ri to Shinagawa
Date: c.1804
Details: More information...
Source:
Honolulu Museum of Art
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Description:
Nihonbashi (Two Ri* to Shinagawa) This elegant privately commissioned print (surimono) is signed Gakyöjin Hokusai, or “Hokusai, the man mad with painting,” identifying it with Hokusai’s third major artistic period from approximately 1798 to 1809. Part of a set depicting the stations of the Tökaidö (East Sea Road), it shows a crowd of Edoites crossing over the Nihonbashi (literally “Japan Bridge”), for the most part absorbed in their own activities and oblivious to the fine view of Mount Fuji in the distance. Since they were privately commissioned, surimono tend to evince more carefully crafted designs, more delicate printing, and better materials, as can be seen by comparing this print and the one next to it with the two from a later series (on display in this gallery) which also depict the Tökaidö but were intended for a wider audience. *Ri was a unit of measurement used to calculate distance during the Edo period. “Hokusai’s Summit: Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji” (09/24/2009-01/06/2010) ******************************
