Description:

A superb and evocative horizontal ōban format Japanese color woodblock print (nishiki-e), circa 1830–32, published by Nishimuraya Yohachi (Eijudō). The print depicts a dramatic scene at the confluence of two rivers in Kai Province (modern-day Yamanashi Prefecture), a location known for its vigorous and aggressive water flow.

The composition masterfully contrasts the dynamic, raging waves of the Fuji River with the quiet persistence of human life. In the foreground, a lone fisherman stands in a tensed posture on a rocky promontory, casting his cormorant fishing lines into the turbulent water while a small boy tends to a fish basket nearby. The architectural curve of the fisherman’s body and his fishing lines are designed to echo the triangular silhouette of Mount Fuji, which rises serenely above heavy layers of mist in the background.

This impression is a later state, featuring added colors beyond the initial indigo-only prints (aizuri-e). The fisherman and boy are highlighted in a red jacket, and the rocks display delicate green-to-yellow gradations (bokashi). The red, wavy shapes on the bank and in the sky are interpreted in Japanese folklore as kitsunebi (foxfires), atmospheric lights carried by the messengers of the Shinto deity Inari.

Kajikazawa in Kai Province is recognized as one of the masterpieces of the esteemed Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji series, a work that profoundly influenced Impressionist artists in the West and remains an icon of Japanese art.

Dimensions: 16 inches high, 18 inches wide.