Ōno Shinden in Suruga

Data

Ōno Shinden in Suruga
Print   (Part of the set: 36 Views of Mt. Fuji)

Katsushika Hokusai
Takamizawa
1970s

2019
00044-044
https://mokuhankan.com/collection/index.php?id_for_display=00044-044

Print is Public Domain; Photography is:   Creative Commons License

Description

It appears to be an early evening scene at Onoshinden, located near Suruga-bay and well known for its beautiful view of Mt. Fuji.

This was a swampy area, and many oxen are carrying reeds presumably harvested nearby. In the old days, these reeds were used for many purposes: covering roofs, making blinds, as fuel, fertilizer, and more.

As usual, I am impressed with Hokusai's skill in depicting people and animals. However, I am concerned about one thing; all the cows' feet look very similar. Not only that, their positions of four legs are almost identical to those of horses in other images drawn by him.

It seems that Hokusai focused more on facial expressions; each person's face is drawn differently, showing their emotional state, as well as each animal's face. I would like to suggest viewers magnify the image to see each cow's eyes; the top leading one is looking at us, the second one is looking at the sky, ignoring us, and another is staring directly at us!

Another Search

Hodogaya on the Tōkaidō Highway
Mt. Fuji Seen from Kanaya