Artwork
An Ancient Picture of the Boat Bridge at Sano in Kozuke Province from the series Curious Views of Famous Bridges in the Provinces
An Ancient Picture of the Boat Bridge at Sano in Kozuke Province from the series Curious Views of Famous Bridges in the Provinces is a print by the Romanticist artist Katsushika Hokusai. It dates from 1834 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
- Accession no.
- 1940.1001
- Credit line
- Bequest of James Parmelee
About this work
Overview
Created around 1834, this woodblock print by Katsushika Hokusai forms part of his series documenting notable bridges across Japan’s provinces. The work portrays a winter tableau of the boat bridge at Sano in the former Kozuke Province, rendered in the flat, linear aesthetic typical of Edo‑period prints. The piece is part of the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection.
Subject & Meaning
The image captures a quiet, snow‑laden scene: a wooden bridge spans a frozen river, its railings outlined against a pale sky. A solitary pedestrian and a rider guiding a horse cross the bridge, while a modest thatched dwelling rests near the water’s edge. Bare trees and distant hills suggest a landscape stripped to its essential forms, emphasizing seasonal stillness.
Technique & Style
The bridge’s structural details and the figures’ attire receive careful attention, contrasting with the smooth, unmarked snow‑covered ground.
Hokusai employs restrained line work and limited color fields to convey depth without elaborate shading. The bridge’s structural details and the figures’ attire receive careful attention, contrasting with the smooth, unmarked snow‑covered ground. This balance of precise rendering and minimal background typifies the ukiyo‑e approach to landscape, where compositional clarity foregrounds the scene’s atmospheric quality.
History & Provenance
The print belongs to the series titled "Curious Views of Famous Bridges in the Provinces," a project that surveyed notable crossings throughout Japan. After its production in the early 1830s, the sheet entered private collections before being acquired by the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it remains on view as an example of Hokusai’s later landscape oeuvre.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Katsushika Hokusai spent his life in Edo, now Tokyo, where he drew and carved prints for a living.
- 諸國名橋奇覧 かうつけ佐野ふなはしの古づ|Old View of the Boat-bridge at Sano in Kōzuke Province (Kōzuke Sano funabashi no kozu), from the series Remarkable Views of Bridges in Various Provinces (Shokoku meikyō kiran)
諸國名橋奇覧 かうつけ佐野ふなはしの古づ|Old View of the Boat-bridge at Sano in Kōzuke Province (Kōzuke Sano funabashi no kozu), from the series Remarkable Views of Bridges in Various Provinces (Shokoku meikyō kiran)
名所江戸百景 目黒太鼓橋夕日の岡|The Taiko (Drum) Bridge and the Yuhi Mound at Meguro
諸國名橋奇覧 山城あらし山吐月橋 |Togetsu Bridge at Arashiyama in Yamashiro, from the series Remarkable Views of Bridges in Various Provinces (Shokoku meikyō kiran)
諸國名橋奇覧 ゑちぜんふくゐの橋|Fukui Bridge in Echizen Province (Echizen Fukui no hashi), from the series Remarkable Views of Bridges in Various Provinces (Shokoku meikyō kiran)
六十余州名所図会 武蔵 隅田川 雪の朝|Morning after a Snowfall, the Sumida River, Musashi Province, from the series Views of Famous Places in the Sixty-Odd Provinces
諸國名橋奇覧 飛越の堺つりはし|The Suspension Bridge on the Border of Hida and Etchū Provinces (Hietsu no sakai tsuribashi), from the series Remarkable Views of Bridges in Various Provinces (Shokoku meikyō kiran)