The Suspension Bridge on the Border of Hida and Etchū Provinces (Hietsu no sakai tsuribashi)
Artist
Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾 北斎
(Japanese, 1760–1849)
Dateabout 1833–1834
Mediumwoodblock print; ink and color on paper
DimensionsHorizontal ōban: 25.4 x 38.1 cm (10 x 15 in.)
ClassificationsPrints
MarkingsCensor's seal: kiwame
Credit LineJohn Chandler Bancroft Collection
Terms
Object number1901.751
Label TextDuring the Edo period (1603-1868), simple suspension bridges were often installed across Japan when it was too precarious, remote, or costly to construct permanent structures. The Suspension Bridge on the Border of Hida and Etchū Provinces conveys both the sense of danger and wonder experienced by the crossing travelers, who seem to pause briefly to admire the resplendent views. In the print, Hokusai innovatively used negative space to imply the cavernous depth of the valley below them. Characteristic of the series, the figures are diminutive compared to their surroundings, and are purposefully placed to contrast with the expansive, almost sublime, power of the natural world around them.On View
Not on view
Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾 北斎
about 1833-34
Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾 北斎
about 1833–34
Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾 北斎
about 1833
Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾 北斎
about 1833
Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾 北斎
about 1833
Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾 北斎
about 1833–1834