HOKUSAI KATSUHIKA, One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji n. 78, 1836-1847

Splendid 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 table represents a scene inspired by the peasant folklore of the Taga no Ura area, south of Fuji, in Sagami province. According to tradition, when the melting snow on the slopes of the mountain formed the figure of a nō-otoko, a farm worker, this was considered a sign of good fortune for an abundant harvest.
In Hokusai's composition, this figure appears on the face of Fuji in black, and some interpreters suggest it may be a pair of workers (a man with a hoe on the left and a woman on the right), echoing the shape of the mountain itself.
The scene below reinforces the symbolism of the promise of prosperity: two farmers, the arm and back of the one on the right arched to recall the silhouette of the towering Fuji, carry bags of rice seeds towards a pond for soaking. The seeds will then be planted in the beds later, covered by nets to protect against hungry birds, and finally transplanted into the rice paddies. The nets, arranged to mimic the mountain, emphasize the connection between the landscape, agricultural culture, and the myth of the farm worker of Fuji.
Through this composition, Hokusai unites the landscape, peasant tradition, and the symbolic element of the nō-otoko, transforming the snow of Fuji into a visual message of abundance and prosperity, reflected in the daily activities of the farmers at the foot of the mountain.