HOKUSAI KATSUSHIKA, One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji no. 75, 1836-1847

Stunning proof with good contrasts, attributable to the print run of Eirakuya Tōshirō (mid 19th century) from the original woods of the Egawa workshop. Printed on Japanese paper, in excellent condition, with original untrimmed margins beyond the marginal line.

Annotated Bibliography
H.D. Smith II, Hokusai: One Hundred Views of Mt. Fuji, New York: George Braziller, 1988
M. Forrer, Hokusai, London: Royal Academy of Arts, 1991
M. Forrer, Hokusai, New York: Rizzoli, 1988
M. Forrer, Hokusai: Prints and Drawings, Munich: Prestel, 1991
G.C. Calza, Hokusai: The Old Madman of Painting, Milan 1999-2000, London 2003
G.C. Calza, Hokusai: The One Hundred Views of Fuji, Milan: Editoriale Nuova, 1982
J. Hillier, The Art of Hokusai in Book Illustration, London: Sotheby Parke Bernet, 1980
J. Hillier, L. Smith, Japanese Prints: 300 Years of Albums and Books, London: British Museum Publications, 1980
R.S. Keyes, Ehon: The Artist and the Book in Japan, New York: George Braziller, 2006
T. Clark (ed.), Hokusai: Beyond the Great Wave, London: British Museum Press, 2017
M. Forrer, W.R. van Gulik, Hokusai and His School: Paintings, Drawings and Illustrated Books, Leiden: Society for Japanese Arts and Crafts, 1991
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/78803

Commentary
The print depicts a view of Mukōjima, a location situated in the eastern area of Edo along the banks of the Sumida River, famous for the spectacular blooming of its cherry trees, the hanasakura. The cherry blossoms dominate the scene: the citizens of Edo stroll among the trees and the stalls where tea is served, creating a spring atmosphere of leisure and socializing.
However, compared to other representations of Mukōjima, this scene presents some peculiarities: the cherry trees are rendered in rather skeletal and colorless forms, the ground appears more rugged and hilly compared to the actual plain of Mukōjima, and the human figures, although placed in scattered groups among the trees, do not show facial features, reducing the immediacy of the observer with city life. Nevertheless, the composition remains an example of Hokusai's interest in the combination of natural and urban elements and his ability to insert Fuji on the horizon as a visual and symbolic reference point, even if here, compared to other more successful prints, the rendering is more discreet and almost experimental.