Ushibori in Hitachi Province

Dawn on the Ushibori inlet: a grain boat lies moored in the reeds, a boatman leans from the bow to tip water into the shallows, and herons break across the blue. The quietest print in the series — no travelers, no spectacle, one working boat at first light, with Fuji as a bystander. The hull's long diagonal runs against Fuji's slope like a counterweight; the whole scene hangs balanced between the two. "Work begins before the day does. The mountain keeps the hour."

Maker

Katsushika Hokusai

Date

c. 1830–32

Medium of the original

Woodblock print; ink and color on paper

Rights

Cleared for print

Catalogue number

PA-00368