HOKUSAI KATSUHIKA, One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji n. 96, 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 scene depicts a hidden and privileged place for the contemplation of Fuji and the surrounding nature. An elegant elderly gentleman sits on a platform overlooking a river and a marsh, perhaps a landing or a point to observe the moon, absorbed in the vision of the mountain.
The title references the kakkō, a large rare cuckoo, invoking the Chinese legend of Prince Kakkō, whose spirit transformed into this bird; however, the bird depicted in the sky is most likely the hototogisu, a smaller cuckoo more common in iconography, flying in front of the Fuji facade as a signal of an early summer. The long robe and large fan of the nobleman suggest an affected taste for elements of Chinese origin, consistent with a trend that Hokusai often manifests in his art.
The poetic atmosphere is enhanced by the waka of Fujiwara no Toshinari (1114-1204), which evokes the night song of the cuckoo perceived as surprisingly close, uniting contemplation, seasonality, and the illusory distance between man, nature, and mountain: «Suginoru ka / yowa no nezame no / hototogisu /koe wa makura ni / aru kokochi shite» (Have you perhaps already flown away, O cuckoo who woke me at night? Your voice at my pillow seemed so close to me).