Katsushika Hokusai’s Ukiyo-e I will explain Fujimigahara in Owari Province in Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji.
This ukiyo-e print of Fujimihara is thought to be a scene near present-day Fujimi-cho, Naka Ward, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture.
This area was a scenic spot with red-light districts and samurai residences on the outskirts of Nagoya.
Hokusai visited Nagoya twice, but it is unknown whether he visited there.
It is located in the westernmost part of the 46 maps of “Thirty-six Views of Mt.Fuji” and is second only to “Changzhou Ushibori” to view Mt. Fuji from a long distance (about 167 kilometers).
The peak that can be seen from this place is Mt. Hijiri in the Southern Alps, and Mt. Fuji is actually invisible because it is shielded by the Southern Alps.
It is also called “Okeya no Fuji”. The depiction of people and buckets is also very detailed, making it a masterpiece in this series. This geometric composition is unique to Hokusai.
He devotes himself wholeheartedly to the creation of a tub so large that craftsmen surround him.
He admires the daring and eccentric composition of capturing a small figure of Mt.Fuji in the distance through the tub.
Hokusai’s playfulness can also be felt in the combination of the large circle of the bucket and the small triangle of Mt. Fuji.
The craftsman depicted in the painting also appears in the ukiyo-e “Hokusai Manga” published about 15 years ago.
In the center of the painting is a figure of a craftsman carving a board in a huge barrel with a spear plane.
A hoop and toolbox are placed on the left side of the barrel, and a mallet is placed on the right side to hold the barrel in place.
A composition very similar to this appears in the ukiyo-e “Hokusai Manga Part 3” (1814-1818).
It has been pointed out that this kind of acrobatic composition was influenced by Minsetsu Kawamura’s picture book Hyakufuji.
“Bero Ai” is used to describe the sky.
Only the upper part is printed even darker, and the edges are blurred with a rag.
This ukiyo-e is from around 1830 to 1832. Hokusai is around 72 years old.
