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Fisherman and Woodcutter

Katsushika Hokusai

Fisherman and Woodcutter exhibition

Fisherman and Woodcutter

High-resolution facsimiles

Material
printed on silk
Period of creation
Tsuzuri Project Stage 12 2018–2019
Recipient
The Sumida Hokusai Museum(Sumida Ward)

Original

Artist
Katsushika Hokusai
Historical era
Edo (19th century)
Material
ink, color on silk
Medium
pair of hanging scrolls
Size
Each screen H113.0 × W39.6 cm
Collection
Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art

Description

This work depicts a fisherman seated in front of drifting waves with a creel by his side, and a woodcutter with a pipe in his mouth with strangely shaped rocks behind him. The painting is presumably based on the Dialogue between a Fisherman and a Woodcutter, where they tell each other about their respective fates, and how they lead their lives quietly together with parts of great nature as their respective friends, away from the rest of the world. At the same time, however, the feathers of the bird contained in the fish basket can recall the Noh play Hakuryu, in which a fisherman named Hakuryu finds the feathered dress of an angel at Miho no Matsubara, in today's Shizuoka Prefecture. On the other hand, the gourd bottle that the woodcutter carries on his waist can recall The Legend of a Son Taking Good Care of His Old Father, in which spring water that the devoted son collects for his old father turns into liquor, and the father becomes cured of his disease after drinking it. Thus each figure in the work can also evoke a separate tale. This picture, which Hokusai produced at 90, is arguably his last work. The philosophical facial expressions of the two men may reflect the way Hokusai might have been feeling.

How the Works Are Created

How the Works Are Created

This section introduces the production process of high resolution facsimiles by combining Canon’s latest imaging technology and the authentic craftsmanship of Kyoto in the Tsuzuri Project.

About the Tsuzuri Project

About the Tsuzuri Project

This section shares the significance and passion behind the Tsuzuri Project and how we utilize the high resolution facsimiles of precious cultural assets, which are designated as national treasures and important cultural assets, and Japanese artworks that have left Japan.