Sakanoshita: the Throwing Away the Brush Peak 1834

This woodblock print, crafted by Utagawa Hiroshige, presents us with the peak of Sakanoshita, a poignant name hinting at artistic abandonment. Dominating the composition is the mountain, its form echoed in the posture of the travelers below. Mountains, in Eastern art, are not merely geological features but powerful symbols of stability, endurance, and spiritual aspiration. In this print, the mountain's imposing presence contrasts with the transient figures, suggesting a tension between the eternal and the ephemeral, or the sublime and the everyday. Consider the recurrent motif of the traveler throughout art history. From the weary pilgrims in medieval manuscripts to the wandering figures in Romantic landscapes, this symbol embodies the human quest for meaning, knowledge, and self-discovery. Here, the travelers remind us of our own journeys. They traverse through life, much like how images traverse through time and space, carrying echoes of past experiences. This print evokes a deep psychological resonance. The act of "throwing away the brush" suggests a moment of creative crisis, a surrender to the overwhelming beauty of nature, an attempt to find stillness in a fast-moving world.