Catching Fish with Nets - Katsushika Hokusai - Japan

Item Description

Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾北斎（1760-1849）

"Catching Fish with Nets" (Machiami), from the celebrated series Chie no Umi (A Thousand Pictures of the Sea)

This is a fine Showa-period reproduction woodblock print (fukkoku hanga) after Hokusai's original design from the series Chie no Umi, one of the master's rare landscape/genre series produced in the same remarkable four-year burst of creativity that also gave us Thirty-Six Views of Mt. Fuji. The scene depicts fishermen working large scoop nets in the surf beneath a graceful arched bridge, with a thatched-roof building nestled among wind-swept coastal hills in the background — a lively composition combining Hokusai's mastery of dynamic wave patterns with everyday human activity.

This particular edition was published in May 1947 (Showa 22) by the National Museum (Tokyo National Museum), based on the museum's own holdings ("Kokuritsu Hakubutsukan Zōhan" / National Museum Collection Edition). The print carries a printed reference label on the reverse/mount identifying the production team:

Production supervision: Adachi Toyohisa
Block carving: Aoyagi Takeo
Printing: Yokoyama Bunji

These are the names associated with the well-regarded Adachi workshop tradition of faithful woodblock reproduction, known for its high level of craftsmanship in recreating Edo-period ukiyo-e using traditional multi-block printing techniques. The label also bears an English title, "Catching Fish with Nets by Katsushika Hokusai, Published by National Museum," confirming its official museum-sanctioned status as a study/reference reproduction rather than a later commercial reprint.

A lovely example of postwar Japanese reproduction printmaking, offering collectors an accessible and historically interesting way to enjoy one of Hokusai's less commonly seen series.

Size
Height: 19cm
Width: 26.3cm

Condition
The print is in excellent condition overall, with no notable stains, creases, discoloration, or tears.

Artist Profile
Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) was one of the most influential ukiyo-e artists in Japanese history, renowned worldwide for his series Thirty-Six Views of Mt. Fuji, which includes the iconic "Great Wave off Kanagawa." Working prolifically into his eighties, Hokusai continually reinvented his style, moving from bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful women) and kabuki actor prints early in his career to the innovative landscape and nature series of his late period, including Chie no Umi (A Thousand Pictures of the Sea), Shokoku Meikyō Kiran (Remarkable Views of Bridges), and Shokoku Taki Meguri (A Tour of Waterfalls). His bold compositions, dynamic depictions of water, and technical experimentation had a profound influence on both later Japanese artists and European Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painters.


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