The fisherman Hakuryo and Mount Fuji
1770-1820
Classification
Painting
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Accession Number
F1900.58
Tags
About this artwork
Sori's range of subjects, like Hokusai's, was broader than most artists of ukiyo-e. His work included classical literary subjects, such as Six Immortal Poets, and sympathetic renderings of humble peasants, like this fisherman posed in strict profile with the sacred Mount Fuji silhouetted in the background. The colored feather cloak worn by the fisherman alludes to a Japanese legend about the fisherman Hakuryo, who encounters a beautiful spirit near Mount Fuji. Startled by his humble appearance, ...
Art Historical Context
Hishikawa Sori’s “The fisherman Hakuryo and Mount Fuji,” created between 1770 and 1820 during Japan’s Edo period, captures a quiet moment steeped in legend. Working in the ukiyo-e tradition, Sori often depicted both classical literary themes and everyday figures with empathy. Here, a humble fisherman stands in strict profile, his form outlined against the sacred silhouette of Mount Fuji. The colored feather cloak he wears hints at the famous tale of Hakuryo, who encounters a celestial spirit near the mountain; startled, she flees and leaves behind her feathered robe, or hagoromo—an episode lat...