冨嶽三十六景　東海道江尻田子の浦略図|Tago Bay near Ejiri on the Tōkaidō (Tōkaidō Ejiri Tago no ura ryaku zu), from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei)

Art Historical Context

Katsushika Hokusai's *Tago Bay near Ejiri on the Tōkaidō*, from his groundbreaking series *Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji* (ca. 183032), captures a dramatic seascape along Japan's historic Tōkaidō road during the Edo period (1615–1868). This woodblock print depicts the iconic Mount Fuji looming majestically in the background, framed by turbulent waves crashing near Ejiri shore. Tiny boats battle the rough waters, while human figures—anglers and travelers—add a sense of human scale and peril, evoking the sublime power of nature central to Japanese art. As a masterpiece of ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world"), Hokusai pioneered innovative printing techniques, using vivid Prussian blue pigment for unprecedented depth and atmospheric perspective. This series, which expanded to 46 prints, revolutionized landscape art by portraying Fuji from everyday vantage points, blending realism with poetic reverence. The Tago Bay view alludes to a famous 9th-century waka poem, infusing the scene with literary depth. Hokusai, who lived to 90 and produced over 30,000 works, created these prints amid Japan's isolationist era, yet they later inspired Western artists like Monet and Van Gogh. A highlight of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Asian Art collection, this piece invites visitors to ponder humanity's harmony—and fragility—against nature's grandeur.

About the Artist

Katsushika Hokusai · 1760–1849

Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) stands as one of history's most influential artists, a Japanese master who revolutionized the ukiyo-e woodblock print tradition and profoundly shaped Western art. Born in the Katsushika district of Edo (modern-day Tokyo) to an artisan family, Hokusai lived through nearly nine decades of extraordinary creative evolution, adopting over thirty different artistic names t...