Edo prints
| Design: | Shōtei Hokuju (1763–1824) | |||||
| Title: | View of Tsukudajima island | |||||
| Series title: | The Eastern capital | |||||
| Size: | 26.0 x 38.7 cm (ōban) | |||||
| Posthumous printing from newly cut woodblocks | ||||||
| Photography: | Jacques Commandeur |
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Originally published ca. 1820s by Nishimuraya Yohachi (firm name Eijudō). This edition from newly carved blocks was published by Watanabe.
Artist’s signature in left print area:
| Character | Reading | Meaning | Translation |
| 北 | hoku | north | |
| 壽 | ju | longevity | Picture by |
| 画 | ga | picture | Hokuju |
Series and print title in the upper right area of the print:
| Character | Reading | Meaning | Translation |
| 東 | tō | east | |
| 都 | to | capital | The Eastern capital |
| 佃 | tsukuda | cultivated rice field | |
| 島 | shima | island | |
| 之 | no | ’s | View of |
| 景 | kei | view | Tsukudajima island |
Hokuju was a pupil of Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849), and clearly fascinated with the use of shadows and perspective and with the depiction of cloud formations he saw in western art. However, he didn’t seem to be aware that the vanishing point of perspective lines should always be located on the horizon ...
References
- Forrer, Matthi (1994). Japanese Prints (2 volumes in slipcase). Vol. 10-11, Genève: Collections Baur.
- Uhlenbeck, Chris, and Molenaar, Merel (2000). Mount Fuji. Sacred mountain of Japan. Leiden: Hotei Publishing.
- Uhlenbeck, Chris (2015). Fuji. Iconische berg in beeld. (Fuji. Images of an iconic mountain.) Leiden: Japanmuseum SieboldHuis.
Provenance: Fuji Arts