The Floating World

Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei)

Enoshima in Sagami Province

相州江の島 · Sōshū Enoshima

Katsushika Hokusai · c. 1830–32

What it is

Travellers cross the sand spit to the island of Enoshima, with Fuji standing off to the right across the bay.

Why it matters

Hokusai draws the narrow strip of sand as the only link between two masses of land, and the figures on it as the reason to look.

What to notice

The line of small figures on the spit is the one bridge between the island and the shore.

Some roads are no wider than the people walking them.

The record

Artist
Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾北斎 (1760–1849)
Series
Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei)
Date
c. 1830–32
Publisher
Nishimuraya Yohachi (Eijudō)
Medium
woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Source
The Metropolitan Museum of Art · JP2559

Impression note. The series sold well and was printed in large numbers. The first sheets lean on the newly imported Prussian blue, outlines included; later printings add colours and soften the key block. This is the largest clean open impression of the design the Met holds. Impression variance is real — printings differ in wiping and fading — and choosing the finest openly held impression is the curatorial act.

Public domain; faithfully reproduced.

Bring it home

Printed to order on EMA matte art paper, 200gsm.

From the same series

The road at your moment — Painted Earth’s ukiyo-e style pack.