The First Hanging Scroll (Kakemono no hottan): Detatched page from One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku hyakkei) Vol. 2 Possibly 1835 - 1836

Editor: Here we have "The First Hanging Scroll," a woodblock print by Hokusai. It feels so quiet, almost like a secret glimpse into a private moment. What do you see in this piece that maybe I’m missing? Curator: Oh, but you’ve already found the secret! It’s a poem about seeing, isn't it? That figure pointing—is he showing us Fuji, or the very act of looking, of framing the world as art? I imagine Hokusai chuckled to himself while carving this. Does he prefer scrolls or the real view outside the window? Editor: That's a great point. It's so interesting how he plays with perspective and the idea of art within art. Curator: Precisely! It’s like he’s saying, "Wake up! The world is your scroll." I think I will look at everything a bit differently from now on.