Cherry Blossoms at Koganeibashi Bridge, Mount Fuji in Suruga Province and Monkey Bridge in Kai Province

Catalog note / 解説

These three prints are a good example of economy in the print-making process. Three designs were cut into the same standard öban-size woodblocks and printed on one sheet of paper, which then were supposed to have been cut into three separate prints of tanzaku size from a series depicting famous views from the different regions of Japan. Although perhaps not intended as a triptych, the designs go well together, with an image of Koganei Bridge surrounded by cherry blossoms on the right, the dramatic Monkey Bridge on the left, and Mount Fuji framed between them. The Academy’s impression is a rare example of an uncut sheet preserving all three prints together. “Hokusai’s Summit: Thirty-six View…