Edo prints
| Design: | Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) | |||||
| Title: | Ono waterfall on the Kisokaidō road | |||||
| Series title: | Going the rounds of the waterfalls in all provinces | |||||
| Size: | 38.0 x 25.8 cm (ōban) | |||||
| Posthumous printing from newly cut woodblocks | ||||||
| Photography: | Jacques Commandeur |
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Originally published around 1832 by publisher Nishimuraya Yohachi, whose firm name was Eijūdō (永寿堂). This is a later edition from newly cut blocks from the mid-20th century published by Adachi.
Artist’s signature in top right area of the print:
| Character | Reading | Meaning | Translation |
| 前 | zen | before | |
| 北 | hoku | north | |
| 斎 | sai | room | Drawn by |
| 為 | i | change | Iitsu, |
| 一 | itsu | one | formerly known |
| 筆 | hitsu | writing brush | as Hokusai |
Red round censorship seal reading kiwame (‘approved’) and square Eijūdō seal of the original publisher Nishimuraya Yohachi in lower right of the print.
Series and print title in white cartouche in top right of the print:
| Character | Reading | Meaning | Translation |
| 諸 | sho | all | |
| 国 | koku | provinces | |
| 瀧 | taki | waterfall | Going the round |
| 廻 | megu | go around | of the waterfalls |
| り | ri | in all provinces | |
| 木 | ki | wood | |
| 曾 | so | once | |
| 海 | kai | sea | |
| 道 | dō | road | |
| 小 | o | small | |
| 野 | no | field | |
| ノ | no | ’s | |
| 瀑 | baku | waterfall | Ono waterfall on |
| 布 | fu | spread | the Kisokaidō road |
Ono waterfall, with a fall of some nine meters, is a tributary of the Kiso river and was to be found near the village of Kagematsu, the 39th station of the Kisokaidō road. Hokusai had already included a double-page view of Ono waterfall in volume 7 of his Manga which, although taken from a slightly different viewpoint, is similar to this view, except that only one traveller is represented.
For more information on the Kisokaidō road see Serge Astière’s website completely dedicated to this important Japanese road here.
References
- Dalon, Laure, Nagata, Seiji, Negishi, Mika, Takemura, Makoto, Okuda, Atsuko (2014). Hokusai. Paris, Grand Palais, Galeries Nationales, 1er octobre 2014 - 18 janvier 2015. Paris: Éditions de la Réunion des musées nationaux.
- Forrer, Matthi (1991). Hokusai, Prints and Drawings. Munich: Prestel Verlag and Royal Academy of Arts, London.
- Forrer, Matthi (2010). Hokusai. Munich: Prestel Verlag.
Provenance: Peter Belsito’s belsipe store on eBay.