Mount Fuji from Kanaya on the Tökaidö Road

Catalog note / 解説

The print depicts travelers crossing the Öi River, which separates Kanaya on the western bank and Shimada on the eastern bank. Because of its swift current, the Öi River was considered the most difficult obstacle for travelers, even more difficult than the steep Hakone Pass. The river frequently flooded, and there was no bridge across it. Hokusai’s earlier interest in the traditional decorative style of the Rimpa school helped him create this beautiful dramatic design with humans struggling to cross the rapids. The undulations of the waves are marked by white foam breaking in curved stripes, and the smaller currents within them are delineated in fine lines. In the chest-deep water, traveler…