What would be your first impression upon seeing this image? The mood is quite different from familiar woodblock prints, isn’t it?

In the upper left corner, some alphabetical letter is seen … Carefully observing by turning your head, one will realize that these letters are actually vertically written Japanese. Some resources suggest that Hokusai was very interested in the Western way of color usage and copper plate prints. The influence might have affected the design of this print, one reason why he probably turned the writing on its side ...

In some of the detail, he avoided the black outlines commonly seen in Japanese woodblock prints, for the depiction of clouds and rocks.

It is common knowledge that the best way to enjoy a Japanese woodblock print is to hold it in the hand and appreciate it in delicate light, preferably through a shoji screen. However, for this particular print, keeping certain distance seems to be a better way to fully appreciate the overall image - dynamic waterfall, undulating landscape in the foreground and faraway clouds.