Three Men Traveling Along a Cliff/ Hōraiji, from the series Exhaustive Illustrations of the Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō (Tōkaidō gojÅ«santsugi ezukushi) Possibly 1810

Editor: This is Hokusai's small woodblock print, "Three Men Traveling Along a Cliff," part of his "Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō" series. The colours feel so playful. What strikes you about this image? Curator: Well, isn't it intriguing how Hokusai shrinks the landscape, making those travelers loom larger than life? It's almost as if they're characters in a miniature drama, carrying not just their luggage but also their own little worlds. Perhaps, it's Hokusai suggesting that our journeys are less about the destination and more about the baggage – literal or otherwise – we drag along? Editor: That's a beautiful way to look at it. I never considered the scale in that way. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure!