1831
ink
paper
From the collection of Metropolitan Museum of Art
冨嶽三十六景 隠田の水車|The Waterwheel at Onden (Onden no suisha), from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei) is a 1831 ink by Katsushika Hokusai, a Japonisme work, depicting Mountain, held at Metropolitan Museum of Art.
This print shows a wooden waterwheel spinning beside a river, with three people working nearby. One person carries a basket on their back, another bends over near the water, and a third sits on the ground. In the background, a mountain rises against a blue sky, and a wooden fence frames the left side. The waterwheel is a key part of daily life here—it’s likely used to grind grain or power tools. The artist used simple shapes and bold colors to show both the hard work and the quiet beauty of the scene. Next, look up technique: cross-hatching to see how artists create depth with lines.
Katsushika Hokusai spent his life in Edo, now Tokyo, where he drew and carved prints for a living.
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