Vissers een net binnen halend 1833 - 1837

'Vissers een net binnen halend' or 'Fishermen Hauling a Net' was made by Katsushika Hokusai, using woodblock printing, a ubiquitous technique in Japan during the Edo period. Look at the posture of these men, bent double, unified by the labor of hauling in the net. Their bodies are the mechanism by which the community is fed. We might consider the backbreaking nature of labor, and how the success of this effort determines the livelihood of not only the fishermen, but the village itself. Like many Japanese prints, this work offers a glimpse into the intimate relationship between labor and identity. Hokusai invites us to consider the human body as both a site of labor and a testament to the interconnectedness of community. The print becomes a poignant reflection on the dignity of work, and our reliance on each other.