Fuji with Rafts in the Rushes (RochÅ« ikada no Fuji): Detached page from One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku hyakkei) Vol. 1 Possibly 1834 - 1835

Curator: This woodblock print, by Katsushika Hokusai, is titled "Fuji with Rafts in the Rushes" and comes from his series "One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji." Editor: Immediately, I'm struck by the contrast. The stillness of the mountain against the lively scene on the water. It feels like two separate worlds coexisting. Curator: Yes, the mountain is a constant, a symbol of permanence, while the rafts and reeds represent the fleeting nature of human life. Notice how the rushes almost obscure the mountain. Editor: It’s like a veil, a reminder that even the most enduring things are seen through our own limited perspectives. And the rafts—symbols of passage, journeys undertaken. Curator: Precisely. Hokusai’s composition is about that interplay, the human experience framed by the monumental. Editor: It's a beautiful meditation on perspective, isn't it? Makes you think about what we choose to focus on. Curator: Indeed. A humble reminder of the balance between the eternal and the everyday.