Harumichi no Tsuraki, thirty-second poet in the series One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets Explained by the Nurse
c. 1835/36
Medium
Color woodblock print; yoko oban
Dimensions
24.9 × 37.1 cm (9 13/16 × 14 5/8 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
86400
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The poet Tsuraki was appointed governor of Iki province, near Kyoto, in 920. He composed this poem while crossing Mount Shiga: In a mountain stream. Built by the busy wind, Is a wattled barrier drawn. Yet ‘tis only maple leaves Powerless to flow away. (Translated by Clay MacCauley) Hokusai presents a lovely, clear day drawing to its close. The woodcutters continue their task and a fisherman casts his net where maple leaves are briefly caught in the rush of the mountain stream. A mother pul...
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...