print, ink, woodblock-print
landscape
ukiyo-e
japan
ink
woodblock-print
genre-painting
mixed medium
mixed media
Dimensions 8 3/16 × 7 1/4 in. (20.8 × 18.4 cm) (image, sheet, shikishiban)
Katsushika Hokusai made this woodblock print titled 'View of Koshigoe from Shichiri-ga-hama' during the Edo period in Japan, a time marked by relative peace and economic growth but also rigid social hierarchies. Here, Hokusai presents us with a scene of everyday life. A woman rides an ox, guided by a young boy, while another woman walks alongside. It invites us to consider the roles and expectations placed upon individuals within the socio-economic structure of Japan at the time. The ox, typically a beast of burden, here is a mode of transport for the upper class. We can ask ourselves if this artwork reinforces traditional representations of women, class, and labor, or does it offer subtle narratives of resistance? Hokusai’s work encourages us to reflect on the intersections of identity and circumstance that shaped the lives of people in 19th century Japan.
Comments
Located about thirty miles south from the city of Edo city (today's Tokyo), Shichirigahama Beach affords a scenic view of the Pacific Ocean as well as the dramatic promontory of Enoshima. Because of its relative proximity to Edo, the area had long been a popular vacation spot for the city's inhabitants. The two women depicted here are likely such visitors from Edo. Both wear ageb'shi, a type of simple headdress originally used upper-class women to protect their oiled coiffures from dust and wind when traveling. By the late 18th century, ageb'shi had been adopted by fashion-conscious women on all levels of society to protect their hairdos. Holding long thin smoking pipes, another fashionable accessory, these women seem to be traveling in style.
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