Hokusai 北斎: Moonlight on the Yodo River 淀川 (Yodogawa) (SOLD)

Artist: Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849)
Title: Moonlight on the Yodo River 淀川 (Yodogawa)
Series: Snow, Moon, and Flowers 雪月花 (Setsugekka)  Date: ca. 1833

Peaceful moonlight view of Yodo River in Osaka. Floating mid-river we see passenger boats being poled downstream, the tucked-in passengers seeming to doze on the smooth river. Along the left bank we see several vessels being towed by men who bend forward as they pull the boats, attached by taught ropes, along the towpath. A full moon rises above, and Hokusai’s famous “glove clouds” linger near the horizon. To the right is Osaka castle, with its enormous stone walls and a waterwheel that seems to draw water into the castle. Setsugekka, or “Snow, Moon Flower” is an ancient theme that dates from Tang dynasty China and was popular with painters in China and Japan. In the late Edo period it was a theme that ukiyo-e artists also found appealing, as it could refer to the seasons, landscapes and even pictures of beautiful women.

Condition: Very good impression, color and condition. Center fold and trimming. With the Eijudo seal lower left, found on earlier impressions.

Dimensions: horizontal ôban (24 x 35.5 cm)
Publisher: Eijudô
Literature: See Metropolitan Museum of Art, Art Institute of Chicago, MFA Boston, British Museum, Honolulu Museum of Art. Calza, Hokusai:. (English edition, Phaidon, 2003) p. 293, no. V.39.2. See Hokusai Prints and Drawings by Matthi Forrer (Prestel 1991)

Seal: Eijudô 
Signature: Zen Hokusai Iitsu (within yellow cartouche at top)

SKU: HOK090