Hokusai the metropolitan museum of art bulletin v.43 #1 summer 1985 by alfonse K

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Bulletin Summer1985

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HOKUSA BY

A. HYATT MAYOR

WITH AN ESSAY BY YASUKO BETCHAKU ASSISTANT

CURATOR,

DEPARTMENT

OF FAR EASTERN ART

THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve, and extend access to The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin 速 www.jstor.org

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COVER:Fujifrom Kajikazawain the provinceof Kai. FromThe

Thirty-sixViewsof Fuji, about 1831-33. INSIDECOVERS:Fencers. Fromthe Manga,Vol. VI, 1817. i TITLEPAGE,PAGES3, 5, 7: Galloping horse and two archers.

Fromthe Manga,Vol. VI, 1817.Man swallowinga sword.From the Manga,Vol. X, 1819. ABOVE, RIGHT: Some prize-winning"talents"of gluttony. A

tough-jawedeater bites greedilyinto a persimmonsuspendedby a string. One glutton racesthroughbowlsof noodles; another tosses whole rice cakes into his mouth. Fromthe Manga,Vol. X.

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BELOW,RIGHT:Variousmagicaltalents. A magicianturns into a

frog;another makes irisesbloom from the burningcharcoalin a brazier;a third multiplieshimself;a fourthturnssheets of paper into birds. Fromthe Manga,Vol. X.

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THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART BULLETIN Summer 1985 VolumeXLIII,Number 1 (ISSN 0026-1521) Publishedquarterly? 1985 by The MetropolitanMuseumof Art, FifthAvenue and 82nd Street, New York,N.Y. 10028. Second-class postage paid at New York,N.Y. and Additional Mailing Offices. Museumof Art Bulletinis providedas a benefit to The Metropolitan Museum members and available by subscription. Subscriptions $18.00 a year. Single copies $4.75. Fourweeks'notice requiredfor change of address. POSTMASTER: Send addresschanges to Membership Department, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fifth Avenue and 82nd Street, New York, N.Y. 10028. Back issues availableon microfilm, from University Microfilms,313 N. First Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Volumes I-XXVIII (1905-1942) availableas a clothbound reprintset or as individualyearlyvolumes fromThe Ayer Company,Publishers,Inc., 99 Main Street, Salem, N.H. 03079, or from the Museum, Box 700, Middle Village, N.Y 11379.General Managerof Publications:John P. O'Neill. Editorin Chief of the Bulletin:Joan Holt. Editor:Joanna Ekman. Photography by Gene C. Herbert, Metropolitan Museum Photograph Studio. Design: Abby Goldstein.

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DIRECTOR S NOTE

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Fromthe publicationof its firstvolume in Japanin 1814,Hokusai'sMangawas an enormoussuccess. Its delightfulmelange of small energetic figuresset the style for fourteen more volumes, the last of which was published in 1878, twenty-nineyearsafterthe artist'sdeath. It was an immenseproject, and one that had an impact surprisinglyfar beyond the shores of Japan. The lightly tinted woodcuts of the Manga were among the first Japaneseprints seen in the West after Japanended her two hundred years of isolation in 1854.

their discoveryhas been set in Paris,about1856, when the ^ Traditionally,

etcher Felix Bracquemondspotted a volume in the shop of his printer,who had found it in the packingmaterialsin a shipmentof porcelain. Bracquemondsharedhis discoverywith his artist colleagues, including EdouardManet, who adoptedseveralmotifs from the Mangain his own prints. Other artists-Degas, Cassatt, Bonnard, Vuillard, Lautrec, Pissarro, van Gogh, Gauguin respondedenthusiasticallyto the new and fascinatingimagesby Hokusai, as they did to other Japanese prints by Harunobu, Utamaro, and Hiroshige. The woodcuts' flatter spaces and shapes, decorative patterns, and novel viewpointsreaffirmedthe new waysof seeing that the Frenchartistswere exploring. Wrote Pissarroin 1893, "TheseJapaneseconfirmmy belief in our vision." While such immediatelyappealing images as Hokusai'scan be thoroughlyenjoyed apartfrom their own culture, our appreciationdeepens when they are seen within the richnessand diversityof the art of Japanfromprehistoryto recent times. In the Museum'snew galleriesforJapaneseart, scheduledto open in the spring of 1987, Hokusai'spictures will join some two hundred other masterpieces in settings designed to evoke their originalcontext, which is essential for the full understandingof many Japanese works. Upon completion of this second phase in the installation of our Far Easterncollections, ten architecturallyvaried spaces will provide appropriateand intimate surroundingsfor the traditional displayof sculpture,screensand scrolls, ceramics, textiles, armsand armor,and prints. The introductionto this Bulletin,the selection of prints, and the captions areby A. Hyatt Mayorand wereoriginallypublishedby the Museumin anotherformatin 1967. Hyatt Mayor,who died in 1980, was Curatorof Printsfrom 1946 until he retiredfrom administrativeduties in 1966 to do much of his best writing, including his monumental Prints& People(1971). The notes on Hokusai'sprints were contributed by YasukoBetchaku, Assistant Curatorof FarEasternArt, who has also played an indispensable role-both here and in Japan-in the preparationsfor the new galleries. PHILIPPEDE MONTEBELLO

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve, and extend access to The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin 速 www.jstor.org

Additional magicaltalents. One magicianproducesa processionof small figuresfromhis sleeve; a second vanishes;a third eats rice and exhales a swarmof bees; a fourthemergesfrom a vase; a fifth breathesout a saddledhorse;a sixth projectsa giant face in incense smoke;a seventh swallowsa sword;an eighth poursa gushingstreamof waterfromhis cuppedhands. From the Manga,Vol. X.

THE OLD MAN MAD ABOUT PAINTING

Fewartistswouldbearlookingateverydayfora year;theirworkdoesnot have ICV^S^/f/Kthe varietyandpersonality.It is not enoughmerelyto be great,forthe great in the singlenessof hisobsession.Tobe paintermayimpoundusunendurably continuouslyinterestingthrougha year'sworthof pictures,an artistmust , ' have eyes that gluttonizein everydirectionand an absolutecommandof hand.Sucha one wasHokusai. Hokusaiwasbornin 1760in whatis nowTokyo.All his lifehe wasaspoor fora subsistence.Whenhe wasa smallboy ashisfather,whopolishedmirrors the to printwoodcutsin severalcolors.In began drawingpictures, Japanese his earlyteens, Hokusaiwascuttingwoodblocksforpublishers,andat eighteenhe startedto drawfor other cuttersin the studio of Shunsho. He adoptedpartof his master'sname, calling himself Shunro, to show how completelyhe succumbedto Shunsho'sratherwearystyle in printsof sulky,silken courtesans and the actorswho impersonatedthem. If Hokusaihad died beforehe was forty, while still lingering in this listless elegance, he wouldhave been forgotten. He developedlate in his eighty-nine yearsof life by dint of makingover 10,000 woodcutsand some 30,000 to 40,000 drawings.Thus he was not altogether

"IhavedrawnthingssinceI wassix. All thatI assuminghumilitywhenhe said,at the ageof seventy-five: I beganto understand the true madebeforethe ageof sixty-fiveis not worthcounting.At seventy-three constructionof animals,plants,trees,birds,fishesand insects.[Heomitsmen.]At ninetyI will enter intothe secretof things.At a hundredI shallcertainlyhavereacheda magnificent level;andwhenI ama hundredandten, everything-everydot, everydash-will live." Hokusaidied in 1849, fouryearsbeforeCommodorePerryintroducedforeignersinto Japaneselife. For

overtwocenturiesa fewDutchmerchantshadbeentoleratedon a three-hundred-yard rectangleof earth dumped into Nagasaki harborfor the confinement of outsiders. Hokusai, observing everything, once

showsa "highnose"peeringout of a windowbeyonda boardwall,andbeingpeeredat fromthe street. Eventhoughthe Dutchwereforbiddento crossthe narrowbridgeto the mainland,theirclothes,their guns, their magnifyingglasses,and their booksdid. Hokusai,living just when Japaneseideaswere beginningto rubagainstideasfromEurope,can no longerquitebelievein the fairytaleestheticsof the the worldaregoing,forin one a thousandyearsbefore.Eventhe oldwaysof representing LadyMurasaki of his printsa Japanesestreetconvergesto a vanishingpoint, with figuresdiminishingin the distance, just

book.Hisstudiesof fatpeopleandthinpeoplecouldwellbe Diirer's likea platein anywesternperspective set to capering. anatomicalcomparisons Wheneverand whereverold ideasbegin to be questioned,the unsettlinggeneratesenergy.The breakupof ancient Japaneseideas suppliesthe motor that convulses Hokusai'swrestlers,fishermen,and

jugglers.The paceof changedriveshimto exploreeverydoingandhappeningof Japanesedailylifeas he whothrewhimselfinto the turmoilof sawit in his studio,the street.He is the onlyJapaneseprintmaker the slumsratherthanthe high-flownshamof the stage. Hokusaitraveledfastbecausehe traveledlight, carryinglittle morethan his brushesandhis paper, changing his abode ninety-three times, and as restlesslyadopting over thirty different names. As he flew, he absorbed every style that he saw, keeping consistently only the Japanese convention that ignores shadows. Shadows would have obstructed the racing of his line as it describes things with disembodiedsubtlety. 5

Japaneseand Chinese artistsareable to flingout lines writhinglike stringsin the wind becausethey do not move their brusheswith the little muscleof their fingers,as we might do, but with the largemusclesof their arm and shoulder.Nothing touches the paperbut the brushtip that goes and goes, driven by the

dreadof a pausethatmightdropa blot. Sucha wayof drawingputsits effortin outlineandsummarizes inner detail. The Japaneseand Chinese see no interior logic of bone and muscle in their shadowless figures,and they escape our Greek abstractideal of the body-never realizedin nature to concentrate

theirconventionon the paintedfaceof the geishaandthe actor. colorswithoutcrossingandobscuringthemInJapanese printsthe cleanlinesboundthe transparent sky tints that stain throughthe tough diaphanoustissue of the mulberrypaper.These air colors capture the out-of-doorsfor a people who live more at the mercy of nature than we do, the rain stinging their cheeks through the splits in their strawrain clothes, the chill in their paper houses disjointing their

scatterhatsandbullypeople,the snowblindswithawesome fingers.In Hokusai's prints,the wind-squalls cold. We are far from the mild valleys of classic Chinese painting, where a philosopher pauses to contemplate the October mist on the cliffs, and time runs visibly in the rivers. Hokusai lived in the knockaboutstruggleof today.Like Daumier,he seemed a graphicbuffoonto his contemporaries,but has

grownwiththe yearsto a statureof command. A. HYATT MAYOR

Twowomen at leisure:one reads-a tobacco pipe is on the floorbehind herthe leg and wrigglingher toes. Brushdrawingin ink.

other lies proppedon her elbows flexingher

NOTES

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ON HOKUSAI'S

WOOD-BLOCK

PRINTS

AlthoughHokusaididnot liveto be one hundredyearsold, the ageat which he expectedto reach"amagnificentlevel,"the bulkof workhe left behindis a testimonyto his remarkableachievementas an artist. Even excluding Hokusai's paintings,onecaneasilyseethescopeof hisworkfromhisdrawings in the followingpages. landprints,as demonstrated Hokusai'ssurvivingearlyworkis mainlybook illustrationand surimono, printsprivatelyissuedforspecialoccasionsandfrequentlyaccompaniedby RyoganIchiran(The PictureBookof theViews poems. In EhonSumidagawa AlongBothBanksof theSumidaRiver),about1801-2, Hokusaipresentsin

panoramaa continuous view of the river,beginning at the mouth and ending at the upperstream, and closing with a scene of the Yoshiwaraquarterof Edo (now Tokyo). The illustrationscontinue page by page, in the samewaythat a scrollpainting is unrolledsection by section. Hokusainot only includes the people engagedin differentactivities on the near shore but also incorporatesthe distant view acrossthe

river(p. 14).A similardepictionof the farshore,thoughlessprominent,is alsoseen in a single-sheet print,ImadoRiver(p. 23, below). Hokusai'ssubjects ranged from animals, plants, landscapes, and human figures to historical and supernaturalthemes. He producedvoluminoussketchescoveringall these subjectson a tripto Nagoya in 1812, when he stayedwith one of his pupils, Gekkotei Bokusen. Fromthese drawings,craftsmenmade

wood-blockprintsthatwerepublishedasHokusaiMangain 1814(vol. 1). Furthervolumes,createdfrom other drawings,followedin 1815-19 (vols. 2-10), 1834 (vol. 12), 1849 (vol. 13), and 1878 (vol. 15). The

datesof volumes11and14arenot yetcertain.The fulltitle DenshinKaishu:HokusaiManga,whichmay manualfortransmitting the trueimage:as Hokusaipleases,"wascommonly be translatedas "beginner's as opposedto knownasHokusaiMangaorManga.The wordmangathendenoted"amanualof drawing," or satires." of "comics its contemporary meaning Manypagesof the Mangaarerandomlyfilledwith smallfiguresengagedin differentactivities, a variety of birdsand plants probablydrawnfromnature, or landscapesin all kindsof weatherconditions. Others are more thought-out designs that could easily have become pagesof an illustratedbook (pp. 19, above and below; 27, below; 29). The freely renderedbrushdrawingof a man riding a donkey (p. 48) shows a striking resemblance to the images in the Manga;this or a similar drawingcould have served as a

forthe Manga. hanshita-e (under-drawing) Among Hokusai'sother instructionalbooks was HokusaiGashiki(Methodof Drawingby Hokusai),a selection of designs on a varietyof subjects, publishedin collaborationwith Hokusai'sOsaka pupilsSenkakutei Hokuyo, Sekkatei Hokushufi,and Shunyosai Hokky6-in 1819. In contrast to the Manga, whose pagesarecrowdedwith smalldesigns, HokusaiGashikihas on each doublepage a single design that

a styleof the masterin a largerformat(p. 12). clearlydemonstrates EhonMusashiAbumi(PictureBookof theStirrupsof theBraves),1836 (p. 28, below) and EhonWakanno

Homare(PictureBookof theGloryof JapanandChina),1850(pp. 27, above;28, above)-two of three booksgenerallyknownas the WarriorTrilogy-displaythe linearstyleoften associatedwith Hokusai's workof aroundthe 1830s. The blocks for EhonMusashiAbumiwereprobablymade about 1836 but were not printed until after Hokusai'sdeath. Figuresare executed with fine strokes in combination with 7

accentuated contour lines, whereas landscapesare shaded with angularstrokes and dots-a common

conventionin Chineselandscapepaintingas wellas in Nanga,theJapaneseliteratipaintinginspiredby Chinesepaintingof the samekind. Hokusai's maybe seennot onlyin his printedbooks,butalsoin his drawings. spontaneousbrushwork He capturesplayfulsparrows hoppingaroundan oldhatwiththe utmostsimplicityandeconomyof line. The sparrowsand the hat are drawnwith dabsof brownwash and broadbrushstrokesthat are contoured

withcontrastingthin lines (p. 13, above). Countless imagesproducedfor the Mangamay have servedas a groundworkfor Hokusai'sbest-known single-sheet prints, The Thirty-six Views of Fuji, about 1831-33, where landscapebecame the major theme for the first time in the history of Japaneseprints. Ten prints with black outlines, the so-called

"rear-view Fuji,"weresubsequentadditionsto the initialset of thirty-six,withblueoutlines. In RainstormBeneaththeSummit(pp. 46-47), Mt. Fujitowerspeacefullyabove the turbulentweather suggestedby the white rainclouds and the thunderbolt.Here the majesticFujidominatesan entire scene

in whichhumanfiguresarecompletelyeliminated,whilein otherprintsin the set (pp.40-41; 44, below; 45) the human element is unobtrusivelypresent. In The GreatWaveoff Kanagawa,for example, huge anthropomorphicwavesappearto engulf the tiny people holding onto their wooden boats. The viewer's eye is directed by the boats toward the left, swiftly taken upwardby the splashing waves, and then returnedto the center where Fujistandsundisturbedbeyondthe roughwaves. Other prints in the series

(pp. 33, above;34-35; 36-37; 38; 39; 42-43; 44, above)depictlandscapesand activitiesof ordinary people set against the familiarpresence of Mt. Fuji. Throughout the series, the viewer'sattention is alwaysdirectedto the gracefulview of this admiredmountain, no matterhow smallFujimaybe portrayed. In other genres, Hokusaiprovedthat birdsand flowerscould be just as exciting subjectsforsingle-sheet

printsas actorsand beauties,themesfavoredby the masses.His imagesof plantsare basedupon observationfromnature,but he goes farbeyondmorphologicalaccuracy,capturinghis subjects'very essence.In the printof irises(pp. 10-11),a senseof vibrantlife is suggestedby the flowersin different discreetly stagesof bloom, as well as by the torn leaf that mayhavebeen eaten by the grasshopper holdingonto it. In his lateryears,Hokusaifrequentlysought ideasfromthe classics. In one of the printsfromthe series FamousBridgesin VariousProvinces, about 1833-34, Hokusai adopts the theme of yatsuhashi(eight-

in Mikawaprovince,nowAichi prefecture,wasa placecelebratedforthe plankbridge).The yatsuhashi lovely irises surroundingthe bridge and was one of the subjects favored by artists ever since it was mentioned in the tenth-centuryTalesof Ise, a collection of romanticepisodesin the life of a courtier.In

is slightlyalteredto forma Hokusai'sprint (pp. 30-31), the familiarzigzagpatternof the yatsuhashi trianglein the center that echoes the shape of the mountain. Irisflowers,usuallyshown filling the space, are reduced to scattered dots under the prominent bridge. Hokusai has replaced the Heian period (794-1185) ideal of yatsuhashi,usuallyassociatedwith elegant court nobles and largeiris flowers,with a

genresceneof the Edoperiod(1615-1867)showingordinarypeoplecrossingthe bridgeto pursuetheir dailyactivities. PoemsToldbytheNurse,about1835-36, derivesfromananthologyof one Anotherseries,TheHundred no Teika.Forsome hundred hundredpoemsbyone poetscompiledin 1235by the famouspoetFujiwara reason the serieswas never completed;twenty-eightdesignsare known to exist as prints-twenty-seven

arein the FreerGallery.The title of colorandone blackandwhite-and forty-onedesignsas hanshita-e the seriesalong with the poet'sname and poem are presentedin a rectangleand a squarecartouche, the

usedforwritingpoems.Whetherworkersrepairingrooftiles, shapesof the sheetsof papertraditionally hunterswarmingupbya fire,ormenrowingboats(pp.22, below;24-25; 33, below),the imagesdepicted own.A WinterScene,wherestreaksof smokeare arenot thoseof the Heianperiod,butthoseof Hokusai's set againsta flatmassof blackand gray,exemplifiesHokusai'sabstractsense of color, shape, and design, as

wellas his inexhaustible originality-someof the qualitiesthathavegivenhis artits universalappeal. YASUKOBETCHAKU 8

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Landscapes:trees in the rain; islands in the sea. Fromthe Manga,

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RIGHT:Assorted leaves. Fromthe Manga, Vol. III, 1815.

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Irises.Froman untitled groupknown as the "large-sheetflowerseries,"late 1820s.

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OPPOSITE, ABOVE: Birdsin flight over

reeds;cormorants,finches, and geese. FromHokusaiGashiki,1819. OPPOSITE,BELOW:Birdson a tree at the water'sedge: thrushes,cranes, finches, and geese. FromHokusaiGashiki. ABOVE:Old hat and house sparrows.

Brushdrawingin ink and color. RIGHT:Variousbirds. Fromthe Manga, Vol. III.

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Rainbowat Mitakegura.A showerfalls at the new YanagiBridgeover a canal joining the SumidaRiver. Wayfarers,rushingacrossthe bridge, hastily raiseumbrellasand cover themselves with coats and rugs. In the backgroundis a panoramicview of the farbank of the Sumida. FromEhonSumidagawa Ryogan Ichiran,about 1801-2. ABOVE:

OPPOSITE, ABOVE: Mount Harunain the

rain. One of a seriesof views of famous places drawnin variousweathers.From the Manga,Vol. VII. OPPOSITE, BELOW: Bog rhubarbof Akita

in the rain. Hokusaihas enlargedthe rhubarbof Akita to preposteroussize with leaves largeenough to serve as umbrellas.This may be his comment on the boastfultales of the residents. From the Manga,Vol. VII.

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A gust of wind at Ejiri, in the province of Suruga.Pale Fujiis seen from the plain. Travelerson the raisedpath throughthe rice fieldsstruggleagainstthe wind. Sheets of paperare swept into the air, and one man has lost his hat. FromThe Thirty-sixViews of Fuji, about 1831-33.

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The maddeningwind. To Hokusai, gesturesspoke louderthan words.These studiescaricaturethe reaction of the harassedpedestriansto the unpredictablegustsof the wind. From the Manga,Vol. XII, 1834. ABOVE:

OPPOSITE, ABOVE: A

woman of remarkable strength. A rearingwild horse is held fast by the delicate high wooden clog of the woman'ssandalon the halter rope. The woman, oblivious of the plunginganimal, admiresa birdflying above the irisesin the lake. Fromthe Manga,Vol. IX, 1819. OPPOSITE, BELOW:Another woman of

remarkablestrength. A mighty and muscularwarriorpusheswith all his strength, but the womancontinues to walk at her relaxedand unhurriedpace. At the edge of the path an empty sake bottle has been stuck upsidedown on a bamboopole. Fromthe Manga,Vol. IX.

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OPPOSITE,ABOVE:Caricatures of the

descendantsof a noble family.One figure at the top paints eyebrowson his forehead; the other paints his lips and teeth with the aid of a magnifyingmirror.At the bottom a posturingdandytreadson another'srobe, and in the center a figure slumpslike a pile of discardedclothes. Fromthe Manga,Vol. XII.

BELOW: Variousunseemlysights. At the top a man is about to commit hara-kiri with a frog beside him. Below, a woman's face is unflatteringlymagnified.Top right, a famouswrestler,Goro of Matano village, makesan ostentatiousdisplayof strengthby lifting a boulder.Below,a partiallyclad woman takes a pickled radishfrom a barrel.Fromthe Manga, Vol. XII.

OPPOSITE, BELOW:Talentsof the

longnosed. Long-nosedtengu(monsters,halfhuman, half-bird)displaytheir skills while an equallylong-nosedwomancompetes with them by writingelegant cursive scripton a folding screen with an ink brushtied to the end of her nose. From the Manga,Vol. XII.

LEFT:Thin men and thin women. In contrast to relaxedfat people (opposite), thin people are tense and active. They wrestle, carryloads, work, fight, break crockery,and provoketrouble. Fromthe Manga,Vol. VIII, 1818.

BELOW:Twowomen in a house are look-

ing at the peach blossomsbelow their porch. A workmanis throwingtiles to another on the roof above, while a third is laying them in position. In the distance is a well-traveledroad. FromThe HundredPoemsTold by the Nurse, about 1835-36.

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fat women in various poses. The fat peo-

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ple, for the most part, relax and sleep, read, smoke, or amusethemselves in a manner. Hokusaifinds their characterto be vastly differentfrom that of the thin people (opposite). Fromthe Manga,Vol. XIII, 1818. BELOW:Pottersmakingroofingtiles on

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bank of the ImadoRiver, a tributary of the SumidaRiver. Early1800s.

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Illustrationof a poem by Minamoto no Muneyuki.A winter scene in the mountains. Outside a snow-coveredhut, men warmthemselvesover a fire. Winter loneliness in a mountain hamlet grows Only deeperwhen guests are gone And leaves and grassare withered; So runsmy thought. FromThe HundredPoemsTold by the Nurse.

ABOVE: Variousmodes of fencing. The lances are tipped with protective cushions. The helmeted figuresin the center weargauntletsand wield swordsof wood. Fromthe Manga,Vol. VI, 1817. OPPOSITE,ABOVE:General Nitta no

Yoshisadaprayingto the dragongod in the sea. In response, the god turned the sea wavesinto sand, so that the general could cross to the opposite shore. A wave of sand following the contour of a wave of watermay be seen in the foreground. FromEhonWakanno Homare,1850. An episode in the life OPPOSITE,BELOW:

of the Chinese warlord,Liu Hsiian-te (A.D. 161-223). The warlord,bent low in his saddle, plungesdown a cliff into the foamingtorrentof the riveras he escapesfrom his enemies. Fromthe Manga,Vol. VI.

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the requestof the emperor,Nitta no Tadatsune(d. 1203) set out to slay the monsterthat was said to inhabit the darkcavernsdeep under Fuji. Tadatsuneis shown here apparently lighting a magic torch from raysof sunlight reflectedon the sea. FromEhon Wakanno Homare. Vision of H6j6 no OPPOSITE, BELOW:

Tokimasa(1138-1215). According to the legend, Tokimasaprayedto the Goddess Benzaitenfor her protection. After three weeks of incessantprayer,Tokimasa was granteda vision of Benzaitenin the formof a serpent. As she disappeared, Benzaitenleft behind her three serpent scales, which were treasuredby Tokimasaas a pledge of divine protection. FromEhonMusashiAbumi, 1836.

ABOVE: Sun Wu-K'ung, the legendary

Buddhist-followermonkey,performing magic. Hairsthat the monkeyhas pluckedfromhis beardformthemselves into other monkeyscarryingstaves. On the left is the double manifestationof T'a Fei, the famouscruel and beautifulconcubine of the last emperorof the Shang dynasty.Her scatteredashes were said to have turned into a many-tailedfox. From the Manga,Vol. X.

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Yatsuhashi(The Eight-plankBridge), in the province of Mikawa,a construction of narrowplatformsbuilt out zigzagover a swamp.The middle partof the bridgeis raisedin an arch, and men and women on differentpartsof the bridgeadmire the iris blossomsin the waterbelow. FromViewsof FamousBridgesin Various Provinces, 1833-34.

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ABOVE:A ferryboatcrossingthe bay.

Late 1790s-early 1800s. OPPOSITE,ABOVE:Viewing the sunset

over Ry6gokuBridgefrom the bank of the SumidaRiver at Ommayagashi.The broadSumida is spannedby the great bridge. Beyond its farend Fujirisesdark and clear against the evening sky. From the near shore a ferryboatfull of men and women is startingto cross the water. FromThe Thirty-six Viewsof Fuji. OPPOSITE, BELOW: Illustrationof a poem

by Kiyowarano Fukayabu.The large prowof a pleasureboat is hung with lanterns, and two other boats are mooredon the river.Silhouettes of houses are seen on the opposite bank. How quicklythe night flowsin summer And dawn breaks. Long I sought the cloud-coveredmoon. FromThe HundredPoemsTold by the Nurse.

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Under Mannen Bridgeat Fukagawa.Distant Fujiis seen between the tall piersof the wide arch of Mannen Bridgeover the FukaRiver. People cross the bridge, a laden boat is poled upstreamin the foreground, and a man fishesfrom a rock in the stream. FromThe Thirty-sixViews of Fuji. * *

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Ushibori in the province of Hitachi. A largejunk is mooredamong reeds. Two herons take wing as a man leans out of the cabin to pourawaywaterin which rice has been washed. In the distance acrossthe marshesis Fuji. FromThe Thirty-sixViewsof Fuji.

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the Totomi Mountains. A huge squarelog is supported aslant on tall trestles;between the poles is a view of the cloud-wreathedcone of Fuji. Twomen saw,one kneeling below, the other standingon the log. A woman and a child watch. A workmansits by a fire, which sends up a dense column of smoke. FromThe Thirty-sixViews of Fuji.

OPPOSITE, ABOVE: In

ABOVE: Fuji-viewFieldsin the province of Owari. The peak of the mountain appearson the horizonthroughthe circle of a greatunfinishedvat upon which a cooper is at work. FromThe Thirty-six Viewsof Fuji.

OPPOSITE, BELOW:The

waterwheelat Onden. A greatwaterwheelis turnedby a streamrunningunder it. In the foregrounda boy drawsa tortoise by a string, a womancarriesa bucket, and another womanwashesherbs in the stream. Beyondthe streamtwo men with bundles appearover the hill. Fujirisesover fields and mists. FromThe Thirty-sixViews of Fuji.

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The greatwave off Kanagawa.The dark blue watercrests above three fragile boats, which speed like arrowsthrough the troughof the wave. Fujiappears, snow-capped,on the distant horizon. FromThe Thirty-sixViewsof Fuji.

Tatekawaat Honj6. View of Fuji from a lumberyardin the Honj6 district. FromThe Thirty-sixViewsof Fuji. ABOVE:

OPPOSITE,ABOVE:Sazai Hall of the Tem-

ple of the 500 Rakan. On a balcony adjoiningthe hall of the temple, men and women look out acrossa silver-gray lake to Fuji. The mountain risesbeyond a bank, which partlyhides the roofs of Edo and the stacksof a timberyard.A man and a woman sit on the floorof the balcony restingagainstboxes containing the imagesof Kannon, God of Mercy.From The Thirty-sixViewsof Fuji. Yoshida on the OPPOSITE,BELOW:

Tokaido. A room in the Fujimiteahouse. A waitressis pointing out Fujito two ladies seatedon the balcony of the wide window.Two workmenare resting. At the left are two litter bearers,one of them softening his sandalby beating it with a mallet. FromThe Thirty-sixViews of Fuji.

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OPPOSITE, ABOVE: Hodogayaon the Tokaido. Fuji, blue and white, is seen between the trunksof pines fringingthe high road. In the foregrounda man leads a horse riddenby a woman, and the bearersof a litter rest. The crest of the print publisher,Eijud6, appearson the horse cloth. FromThe Thirty-sixViews of Fuji.

OPPOSITE,BELOW:Honganji Temple at

Asakusain Edo. In the foregroundis the gable of the temple with workmenrepairing the tiles of the roof. Below are the roofs of Edo with the scaffoldingof a fire station risingabovethem. A kite is flying high in the air, and over floatingmist appearsthe cone of Fuji. FromThe Thirty-sixViewsof Fuji. ABOVE:The Mishima Passin the

provinceof Kai. A huge cyptomeriatree rises in the foreground,and travelersare measuringits girth with joined hands. FromThe Thirty-sixViewsof Fuji.

Rainstormbeneath the summit. A forked flash lights up the luridgloom, and snowstreakedFujirisesred into a clear sky with white clouds at the horizon. From The Thirty-sixViewsof Fuji.

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CREDITS arewoodUnlessotherwisespecifiedin captions,all illustrations blockprints. Captionsof the wood-blockprintsother than those fromthe by LaurenceBinyon.The identiMangaarebasedon descriptions ficationof the birds(pp. 12-13) was madeby John Bull of the AmericanMuseumof NaturalHistory. EhonMusashiAbumi:The HowardMansfieldCollection,Gift of bookno. 107) illustrated HowardMansfield,1936(Japanese The HowardMansfield EhonWakan noHomare: Collection,Giftof illustrated bookno. 110) HowardMansfield,1936(Japanese Manga,Vols.III,VII-X, XII.The HowardMansfieldCollection, bookno. 111) illustrated Giftof HowardMansfield,1936(Japanese 1931 illustrated Vol. VI: Fund, Purchase, (Japanese Rogers Manga, bookno. 81.6) HokusaiGashiki:The HowardMansfieldCollection, Gift of bookno. 120) illustrated HowardMansfield,1936(Japanese Gift of Mrs. Charles p. 6: CharlesStewartSmith Collection, StewartSmith, CharlesStewartSmith,Jr. and HowardCaswell Smith;in memoryof CharlesStewartSmith,1914(14.76.60[25])

CharlesHewittFund,1911(JP747) pp. 10-11:Frederick 1929.The pp. 13,above;40-41: Bequestof Mrs.H. 0. Havemeyer, H. 0. Havemeyer Collection(JP1859; 1847) pp. 14, 16-17, 36-37, 45: Purchase,RogersFund,1936(JP2580; 2553;2565;2556) pp. 22, below;39: Purchase,RogersFund,1936(JP2548;19) p. 23, below:Giftof SamuelIsham,1914(JP1013) pp. 24-25; 33, above;33, below;34-35; 38, above;38, below;43, above;44; 46-47: The HenryL. PhillipsCollection.Bequestof HenryL. Phillips, 1939 (JP2935;2997;2939;2983;2966;2967; 2984;2973;2961) pp. 30-31; 42; 43, below;44: RogersFund,1922 (JP1398;1285; 1324;1323) p. 32: Purchase,RogersFund,1919(JP1108) p. 48: CharlesStewartSmith Collection,Gift of Mrs.Charles StewartSmith, CharlesStewartSmith,Jr. and HowardCaswell Smith;in memoryof CharlesStewartSmith,1914(14.76.60[106])

THE PRINTING OF JAPANESE WOOD BLOCKS Multicolorprints,whichoriginatedin 1765,werethe collaborawhocoorditionof an artist,a carver,a printer,anda publisher, natedanddirectedthe entireproduction.The artistcarefullylaid his slightlymoistenedfinaldrawingfacedownon the paste-coveredsurfaceof a woodblock.Whenthe blockanddrawingwere dry,the carvercut awaypartsof the block,leavingthe linesto be printedin relief.The artistmadecolornoteson monochrome madefromthiskeyblock.The monochrome impresimpressions sionswereusedforcuttingadditionalblocks,usuallyone foreach color.On everyblockkento,orL andhorizontal-shape guide marks,werecut to registerthe colorsin the correctposition.Pig-

mentwasbrushedon the raisedsurfaceof the blockanda sheetof paperplacedoverit. The paperwasrubbedwitha baren,a circular padcoveredwiththe toughsheathof a bambooshoot.Thisprocesswasrepeatedforeachcolor.The colorswereprintedin the orderof lighterto darkercolors.The gradualshadingoftenseen in representations of skyandwaterwasachievedbywipingthe blockwitha wetclothandthengoingoverthe areawitha wet brushdippedin pigment.Specialeffects,suchasembossing, weredonelast.

Man ridinga donkey. Brushdrawingin ink.

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