Kirifuri Waterfall on Mount Kurokami in Shimotsuke Province (Shimotsuke Kurokamiyama Kirifuri no taki)

Artist Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾北斎 (Japanese, 1760–1849)

Dateabout 1833

Mediumwoodblock print; ink and color on paper

DimensionsVertical ōban: 37.8 x 25.7 cm (14 7/8 x 10 1/8 in.)

ClassificationsPrints

MarkingsCensor's seal: kiwame Publisher's seal: Eijudo

Credit LineJohn Chandler Bancroft Collection

Terms

Japanese Print

Object number1901.730

Label TextThe Kirifuri, or ‘Falling Mist,’ Waterfall, located north of Nikkō City in Tochigi Prefecture, on the southeastern foothills of Mount Akanagi and its beautiful highland setting has long been admired by pilgrims visiting local shrines and temples. One such destination was the Nikkō Tōshō-gū built as a mausoleum for the shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu who unified Japan in the early 17th century. The waterfall (250 ft high), which is part of the Kirifuri River, descends in three steps, first dropping vertically (83 ft) and then glides almost horizontally, before again plunging (86 ft) and breaking into numerous writhing streams as it rushes over craggy rocks. Broadening to fifteen feet wide, the falls fill the air with mist and plunges into a pool of choppy waves and foam. The speed and turbulence of the water is conveyed by the lively patterns and lines of contrasting white and shades of blue.

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