Hokusai, Self Portrait 1839 Image via Wikipedia
“Shokoku taki meguri” are woodblock prints created from views of the most famous waterfalls in Japan and published in 1832. These “Oban yoko-e“ prints are fluid and alive, contrasting the breathtaking majesty of nature with the small and fragile human forms nearby. The idealistic images take the viewer to a place found in the vivid imagination of Katsushika Hokusai. So exquisite are the details that one can almost hear the tumbling water crash and roar as its foaming mass sprays the air and crawls over the rocks below .
Oban is one of three popular print sizes, oban being 10 by 15 inches/25.4 by 38 centimeters in size. Yoko-e is used for a print in the landscape format. Other popular print sizes are Chuban yoko-e, 7.5 inches by 10/19 centimeters by 25.5, and Aiban yoko-e, 9 by 3inches/22.5 by 34.5 centimeters.
“Kiyo Waterfall by the Kannon Shrine at Sakanoshita, Tokaido Road“
“Roben at Oyama in Sagami Province“
“Yoro Waterfall in Mino Province“
“Amida Waterfall on the Kiso Road”
“Aoigaoka Waterfall in Edo“
“The Falls at Ono on the Kiso Road”
“The Waterfall at Yoshino Where Yoshitsune Washed His Horse”
“Kirifuri Waterfall on Mount Kurokami in Shimotsuke Province“
MORE
Visipix: A world center for visual inspiration http://visipix.dynalias.com/search/search.php?u=2&userid=2082431059&searchmethod=tree&startsearch1=go
Viewing Japanese Prints/Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) http://www.viewingjapaneseprints.net/texts/ukiyoetexts/ukiyoe_pages/hokusai_3falls.html
Artelino Japanese Prints http://www.artelino.com/articles/japanese_print_sizes.asp
Fuji Arts/A Tour of Japanese Waterfalls (Shokoku taki meguri) http://www.fujiarts.com/cgi-bin/encyclopedia.pl?page=hokusai_a_tour_of_japanese_waterfalls
Minamoto no Yoshitune http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minamoto_no_Yoshitsune
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