HOKUSAI KATSUHIKA, One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji n. 52, 1835

Fuji in a shower at dusk aka Fuji in the storm, Yudachi no fuji

Series: One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji , Fugaku Hyakkei
Technique: Sumizuri-e , woodblock prints in two or three shades of gray ( sumi ink)
Format: Hanshibon , open diptych (approximately 183x253 mm)
Signatures: Zen Hokusai Iitsu Aratame Gakyorojin Manji
Artist's seal: Fuji no Yama
Date: Woodcuts engraved between 1834 and 1847; examples printed between 1834 and 1870 circa
Engravers: Egawa Tomekichi and Egawa Sentarō
Publisher: Eirakuya Tōshirō (Tōshodō), Nagoya

A splendid work with good contrasts, attributable to the Eirakuya Tōshirō print run (mid-19th century) from the original woodcuts from the Egawa workshop. Printed on Japanese paper, in excellent condition, with original margins intact 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
GC Calza, Hokusai: the old man crazy about painting , Milan 1999-2000, London 2003
GC Calza, Hokusai: 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

Description
Light and darkness, black and white.
The panel recalls the similar Sanka haku-u ( Storm below the summit or Fuji in the storm ), from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji . In this version, Hokusai makes up for the lack of color with a detailed view of the village as the storm approaches.
The wait, filled with the palpable electricity of the impending storm, seems to be coming to an end; the gloomy darkness of the rain clouds that have engulfed the village is pierced by a bolt of lightning that vividly illuminates the small human figures, bent and huddled under their dochu-gasa , large straw traveling hats, hurriedly seeking shelter. The wind sways the thatched roofs.
Distant, clear and pristine, the peak of Fuji rises above the horizontal curtains of clouds: it is the world of serenity that the sacred mountain inspires, a constant point of reference, even in times of storm.
A preparatory drawing of this panel is also known.