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Katsushika Hokusai 100 Poems Explained by the Nurse: poem by Kiyohara Fukayabu Price A$170 (unframed)) Status New reproduction Condition Excellent Size 380mm x 260mm Availability For sale

This is an example in which the purport of the original poem is illustrated in a way analogized into an aspect of everyday life of common citizens of Edo. The poem by Fukayabu is the one inscribed in the cartouche: Natsu no yo wa Mada yoi-nugaru Akenuru o Kumo no izuko ni Tsuki yadoru-ran (The short summer night, soon after evening, is already greeting dawn. Where in the clouds would the moon stay overnight.) Hokusai represented the scene by a sight deep in a summer night on River Sumida in Edo. It appears to be somewhere a little down the Ryogoku Bridge. The buildings with triangular roofs and of similar dimensions, standing in a row on the yonder bank, are the ofuna-gura (boat houses) where boats of the feudal government used to be kept. The large boat showing its prow from the left side, is judged from the characters written on the lanterns to be the pleasure boat Kawaichi-maru. The small boat in the foreground with a man plying his pole must be for sailing food and drink. Boats are already few on the stream, suggesting that night is wearing on. The slanting line of the opposite bank is suggestive of the broadness of the stream. The simple chiaroscuro of the boat houses reflects Western art technique which Hokusai was willing to experiment. In many respects the print reveals the artist's positive attitude in his advanced years.

Notes supplied with print