Japanese print – Katsushika Hokusai – Aoyama's Cushion Pine – Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji series – Shōwa Yūyūdō edition

Ukiyo-e print, woodblock print. [Shōwa era re-edition using traditional woodblock printing techniques]

Print type: scenes and landscapes: Fūkei-ga 風景画

🎨 Artist: Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾北斎, signed 北斎改為一筆 Hokusai aratame Iitsu hitsu

Edition date: Shōwa period, circa 1965. Original edition circa 1831.

📜 Publisher: Yūyūdō 悠々洞出版
Editorial supervision: Yoshida Eiji 吉田暎二 (great expert of Japanese prints)
Engraver (Hori-shi): 長島道男 Nagashima Michio
Printer (Suri-shi): 伊藤太郎 Itō Tarō

📏 Format: 32 x 22 cm (yoko-e) supplied with mat

Series: 富嶽三十六景 (Fugaku Sanjūrokkei): Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji

Title: 青山円座松 (Aoyama enza no matsu) No. 8 in the series
The Cushion Pine at Aoyama, with Mount Fuji viewed from the garden of Ryūganji Temple.

Subject:

This print depicts the region of Aoyama, now a central Tokyo district that has changed a lot! Hokusai shows Mount Fuji behind the immense Enza-matsu, a famous pine tree in the garden of Ryūgan-ji Temple.

The pine largely dominates the scene with its monumental rounded foliage. Its branches extend horizontally and fall back towards the ground, having measured up to 12 meters! This pine was so vast that it was compared to a giant green cushion (Enza-no-matsu). Hokusai plays on a perfect geometry, contrasting the organic and massive roundness of the green pine in the foreground with the refined triangular shape of Mount Fuji depicted in the background.

To the right, several visitors enjoy the garden: some are resting and drinking, while a father shows the pine and Fuji to his child as they walk up the path. To the left, almost hidden among the trunks, a figure collects pine needles. These small details bring a lot of life to the image.

The composition relies on a very graphic contrast between the dense blue of the foliage, the light tones of the landscape, and the gray Fuji that closes the horizon. The bokashi gradients of the sky and the shades of blue reinforce the depth of the scene.

Condition: Print in perfect condition, presented with mat. Fresh and balanced colors, very beautiful printing quality typical of Yūyūdō editions.

🦝 Our opinion:

This print by master Hokusai has immense charm! Here, the large pine almost steals the show from Fuji! We really like this peaceful print, with all the characters settled in the garden of Aoyama Temple. It's hard to imagine that this temple still exists today and is located right in the middle of Shibuya/Harajuku/Aoyama. The area has changed a lot!

A superb Japanese print, an authentic Shōwa re-edition published by Yūyūdō, of very good quality, produced by renowned artisans: Nagashima Michio for engraving and Itō Tarō for printing.

For those who love Hokusai, Fuji, the landscapes of Edo, ancient Japan, and scenes full of small details to observe!