HOKUSAI KATSUHIKA, One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji n. 79, 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 print depicts Fuji in late summer, when all the snow has melted and the dark rocks of the mountain emerge completely. At the top, Fuji appears in uniform black, flanked by white clouds; unlike other prints in the series where black indicates night, here it seems to emphasize the summer sun burning on the mountain. It is the only title in the series that explicitly mentions the season and specifies a precise location: Inage-ryō, located south of the Tama River, in the area that today corresponds to Kanagawa Prefecture, opposite the current Futako-Tamagawa. The river depicted is likely the Tama, known for fabric washing and strengthening activities, although the area was not particularly famous, suggesting a personal interest of Hokusai.
The scene on the riverbank is animated by several people engaged in daily activities related to fabric preparation: some emerge from the water carrying pieces of cloth, others hang the rinsed fabrics in long strips over poles raised on their shoulders, while on the upper bank, in the foreground to the right, three men and three women take a break for a meal, eating and warming tea over a fire. The composition thus captures a moment of work and rest along the river, with the powerful presence of Fuji dominating the background, integrating landscape, human activity, and seasonal details into a single harmonious vision.