Viewing Sunset over the Ryögoku Bridge from the Ommaya Embankment

Catalog note / 解説

Hokusai presents a seemingly artless scene that forms, at the same time, a striking visual composition. In the approaching dusk, a ferryboat gradually moves on the gentle waves of the Sumida River. The ferryman and passengers seem to symbolize the spectrum of life in the city of Edo. Apart from the group, a man sits in solitude in the bow of the boat. His practical moss-green cotton kimono with white small shibori or kasuri patterns drapes loosely over his tied body. The kimono is short, its hem probably tucked into his sash at the back for walking. Tight indigo-blue leggings and straw sandals suggest that he has made a long and tiring journey. A samurai leans against the gunwale of the boa…