1804
ink
paper
From the collection of Metropolitan Museum of Art
百人一首 宇波か縁説 権中納言定家|Poem by Gon-Chūnagon Sadaie, from the series One Hundred Poems Explained by the Nurse (Hyakunin isshu uba ga etoki) is a 1804 ink by Katsushika Hokusai, a Japonisme work, depicting Working, held at Metropolitan Museum of Art.
This print shows five people working hard in a landscape. On the left, a man climbs a tall stack of woven baskets. Another man bends over, carrying a bundle. Two others carry large buckets on poles over their shoulders. One person sits by a pile of sticks, tying them together. The sky is dramatic, with swirling clouds and a dark shape hanging in the air. The print’s bright colors and busy activity suggest daily labor in a village. The text in the corner hints at a poem, but the focus is on the workers’ effort. Next, look up working as a subject in art to see how other prints show labor.
Katsushika Hokusai spent his life in Edo, now Tokyo, where he drew and carved prints for a living.
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