Two Men and a Servant Traveling by Stone Steps/ Kanagawa, from the series Exhaustive Illustrations of the Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō (Tōkaidō gojÅ«santsugi ezukushi) Possibly 1810

Editor: This is "Two Men and a Servant Traveling by Stone Steps/ Kanagawa" by Katsushika Hokusai. It feels like a snapshot of everyday life. What symbolic meanings might be embedded in this seemingly simple scene? Curator: Notice the stark contrast between the figures. One is burdened, the other cloaked and carrying what appears to be very little. Consider their attire; what does it tell us about their roles and societal positions? Editor: It looks like a commentary on the social hierarchy? Curator: Possibly. The servant carries the weight, both literal and perhaps symbolic, allowing the others passage. Woodblock prints like this were often consumed by the merchant class. How might they have interpreted this image? Editor: Maybe as a reflection of their own dependence on others, or even a romanticized view of labor? Thank you, that's a different perspective than I had initially.