Wow, Hokusai! See, Examine, and Discover Ukiyo-e

Japan Forward

11-07-2025

The Sumida Hokusai Museum is a prolific presenter of thematic exhibitions that draw on the work of acclaimed woodblock print artist Katsushika Hokusai. Previous recent exhibitions have focused on the subject matter of samurai, theater, and the Yoshiwara pleasure quarter. Others have highlighted the woodblock printing process.
The current exhibition, Wow, Hokusai! See, Examine, and Discover Ukiyo-e, is something of a departure. As the title suggests, it identifies the "wow moments," the multitude of devices that Hokusai employed, that make the viewer gasp with astonishment.
The exhibition's explanatory panels are divided into two, with the top section identifying the artwork and the lower portion explaining the wow factor. The exhibition therefore serves as an excellent introduction to the skills and techniques of the woodblock artist. It will be held in two terms, the first until July 27 and the second from July 29 until the end of the summer holiday period on August 31.
Hidden Subtleties
In truth, many of the highlighted techniques are subtle, and so the gasps are likely to be of the delayed and restrained variety. This is particularly true when figures within the prints point at objects to which the viewer's eye is not naturally directed.
The best example is The Sazaido of the Gohyaku Rakamji Temple, in which the eyes of a single elderly character gaze towards birds perched under a temple roof, rather than the more obvious focus of Mt Fuji. Realization of the existence of the birds is one that is reserved for those who truly take time to examine the print.
Visual Redirection
The technique employed in The Sazaido of the Gohyaku Rakamji Temple is also evident in Sarumaru Dayū, from the series One Hundred Poems Explained by a Nurse. When viewing the print, one's eye is drawn in the direction in which a group of women is moving — to the right. Two of the women, however, look and point back towards a hill on the far left, where perceptive viewers of the print will notice a pair of deer.
Two deer standing in an area to which the eye is not naturally drawn. | Katsushika Hokusai, Sarumaru Dayū, from the series One Hundred Poems Explained by a Nurse, The Sumida Hokusai Museum (all terms)
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The Creation of Scale
Creating a sense of scale is another technique in which Katsushika Hokusai was skilled. In his classic print Rainstorm Beneath the Summit, lightning appears at the base of Mt Fuji while a blue sky and fluffy white clouds can be seen overhead. The dual weather patterns within the vicinity of the mountain make it clear that Mt Fuji is massive enough to create its own weather.
Thunder, lightning, and fluffy white clouds.
An even more compelling example of scale creation occurs in Honganji Temple at Asakusa in Edo, from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji. The height of the roof is symbolically suggested by low-lying clouds, a kite soaring high, and a sizable scaffold for the digging of a well. These references create a gross exaggeration of the actual size of the temple, but imply that it is a particularly venerable object.
Symbolic Shapes
The status of the temple is further enhanced via an appropriation of the spirituality of Mt Fuji through repeated shape. The temple roof facing, and Mt Fuji, are both triangular — suggesting parallels between the temple and one of Japan's most sacred mountains.
The creation of scale and repeated triangles. | Katsushika Hokusai, Honganji Temple at Asakusa in Edo, from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, The Sumida Hokusai Museum (1st term)
Repeated triangles can also be seen in Hokusai's most famous work, Under the Wave off Kanagawa. The wave in the foreground (in front of the more striking cresting wave) resembles Mt Fuji in both shape and color. The tranquility and stability of Mt Fuji contrast dramatically with the temporary nature and destructive energy of the wave.
Dual triangles of blue and white: Mt Fuji and the wave in the foreground.
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Wear and Tear
A visit to the Sumida Hokusai Museum is never complete without an increased appreciation of the trials and demands of the print-making process. An initial print run during Hokusai's time always turned out woodblock prints most in line with what the artist intended. It was supervised by the artist himself, and the woodblocks were in their best condition.
The natural wear on woodblocks over time, however, inevitably led to broader lines in subsequent printings. The absence of supervision by the artist in the additional print runs could also result in mistakes or unwanted interpretations.
Missing Details
Below are two images of Snowy Morning at Koishikawa, from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, created from different print runs. In the upper print, a woman in a tea house is pointing at three birds in the sky, which were most likely included by Hokusai to create a sense of height and depth.
In the second print, the outlines are thicker. Moreover, the birds are missing. According to the exhibition curator, the birds may not have survived upon the block face over time due to their small size, or they may have been on a woodblock that the printer simply forgot to print.
A woman points to birds in the sky. | Katsushika Hokusai, Snowy Morning at Koishikawa, from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, Yoshino Gypsum Collection, deposited in The Sumida Hokusai Museum (1st term)
In a later edition of the print above, the birds are no longer there! | Snowy Morning at Koishikawa, from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, The Sumida Hokusai Museum (1st term)
Katsushika Hokusai was an immensely talented and deeply influential artist. His catalog work is also an invaluable pictorial record of the Edo era, prior to the advent of photography. A visit to Wow, Hokusai! See, Examine, and Discover Ukiyo-e is guaranteed to increase one's appreciation of how Hokusai keeps the life and times of the Edo alive, for us of the current day.
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Author: Paul de Vries