Kuwana 

This print, Kuwana, was made by Katsushika Hokusai, the celebrated Japanese artist of the late Edo period, using woodblock printing. It illustrates the castle town of Kuwana, a strategic point on the Tokaido road, which connected Edo, now Tokyo, with Kyoto. Hokusai was fascinated by the lives of ordinary people, and his work often depicted everyday scenes. But it also offered subtle commentary on Japan’s rigid social hierarchy. Note here the prominent castle and how the landscape recedes into the distance, dwarfed by the seat of power. The castle would have been a key administrative centre, and also a symbol of the ruling class. To understand more, we can look at the history of the Tokaido road, the system of governance under the Tokugawa Shogunate, and the art market of the time. This helps us appreciate how Hokusai’s images both reflected and shaped the culture in which he lived.