Soshu Oyama Roben no taki

About this artwork

Purchased with the support of the F.G. Waller-Fonds

Art Historical Context

### Sōshū Oyama Roben no Taki Katsushika Hokus's *Sōshū Oyama Roben no Taki* (c. 1830–1834) captures the majestic Roben Falls near Oyama in Japan's Sōshū Province (modern-day Shizuoka), with the iconic Mount Fuji looming in the distance. Part of Hokusai's groundbreaking series *Thirty-six Views Mount Fuji*, this print exemplifies the artist's fascination with the sacred mountain as a symbol of Japan's spiritual and natural grandeur. Created during the Edo period's ukiyo-e boom, it reflects a time when woodblock prints democratized art, bringing vivid landscapes to everyday viewers amid Japan's isolationist sakoku policy. Printed in nishiki-e, or "brocade print" technique—a luxurious full-color woodblock method using up to 20 blocks for layered pigments—this oban-sized work (381 × 259 mm) showcases Hokusai's mastery of Prussian blue, a newly imported color that added dramatic depth and atmospheric perspective. His dynamic composition, with cascading water and tiny figures dwarfed by nature, conveys the sublime power of the environment, influencing later Impressionists like Monet. Acquired through the F.G. Waller-Fonds, this piece highlights Hokusai's enduring legacy in bridging Eastern and Western art traditions, inviting us to ponder humanity's harmony with nature. (198 words)

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...