Below Meguro by Katsushika Hokusai

The lyricism of agricultural landscapes and the description of rolling hills form the framework of this print of great poetic serenity. Within the creation entitled “Below Meguro (36 Views of Mount Fuji)”, the famous traveler Hokusai Katsushika represents the harmony of the Japanese countryside through an ideal and refined vision of working the land. This work fits fully into the movement of ukiyo-e, where the contemplation of nature serves to magnify the indissoluble bond between humanity and its nurturing environment.

A tiered landscape of terraced rice fields and yellow hills extends across the entire composition, structured by elegant sinuous lines. In the foreground, small peasants dressed in blue kimonos and straw hats are busy cultivating the soil or carrying heavy burdens along a steep path. On the left, a modest thatched cottage with a golden roof stands on the plateau, while on the right rise two slender pines with twisted branches. On the distant horizon, between the verdant valleys, appears the snowy silhouette of Mount Fuji under a white and clear sky. The soft light highlights the thermal contrasts between the ochre hues of the fields and the blue of the sea.

The creator’s decorative genius is asserted in the extraordinary precision of the contours and the rhythmic arrangement of the bands of earth. His virtuoso woodblock printing technique confers a perfect flatness and characteristic matte finish upon the colored surfaces. This meticulous work demonstrates an exceptional traditional expertise.