Artwork
諸國瀧廻リ 相州大山ろうべんの瀧|Rōben Waterfall at Ōyama in Sagami Province (Sōshū Ōyama Rōben no taki), from the series A Tour of Waterfalls in Various Provinces (Shokoku taki meguri)
諸國瀧廻リ 相州大山ろうべんの瀧|Rōben Waterfall at Ōyama in Sagami Province (Sōshū Ōyama Rōben no taki), from the series A Tour of Waterfalls in Various Provinces (Shokoku taki meguri) is an ink print by the Japonisme artist Katsushika Hokusai. It dates from 1827 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created around 1827, this woodblock print by Katsushika Hokusai belongs to the series documenting waterfalls across Japan’s provinces. The image captures the Rōben Waterfall at Ōyama in the historic Sagami region, presenting a lively riverside setting where figures, architecture, and natural elements coexist in a compact composition.
Subject & Meaning
The scene depicts a bustling waterfall locale: laborers in varied attire scale rocky banks, a tiled-roof structure rises behind them, and a stone bridge spans the river. To the right, on a low wall, additional figures observe or tend to the site, suggesting both work and contemplation within a sacred or communal landscape.
Technique & Style
Hokusai employs vivid pigments and simplified forms to convey motion. The cascade’s mist is rendered with fine stippling, creating a sense of rushing water, while cross‑hatching adds texture to rocks and architectural surfaces. The overall composition balances bold color blocks with delicate line work, typical of early 19th‑century ukiyo‑e prints.
History & Provenance
Part of the “Shokoku taki meguri” (A Tour of Waterfalls in Various Provinces) series, the print entered the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Its attribution to Hokusai and its dating to the late 1820s align with the artist’s later period, when he focused on travel and landscape subjects for a growing market of print collectors.
Artist & collection
Artist
Katsushika Hokusai spent his life in Edo, now Tokyo, where he drew and carved prints for a living.
- 諸國瀧廻リ 下野黒髪山 きりふりの滝|Kirifuri Waterfall at Kurokami Mountain in Shimotsuke (Shimotsuke Kurokamiyama Kirifuri no taki), from the series A Tour of Waterfalls in Various Provinces (Shokoku taki meguri)
諸國瀧廻リ 相州大山ろうべんの瀧|Rōben Waterfall at Ōyama in Sagami Province (Sōshū Ōyama Rōben no taki), from the series A Tour of Waterfalls in Various Provinces (Shokoku taki meguri)
葛飾北斎画 「諸國瀧廻リ 和州吉野義経馬洗滝」|“The Waterfall Where Yoshitsune Washed His Horse at Yoshino in Yamato Province,” from the series A Tour of Waterfalls in Various Provinces
諸國瀧廻リ 美濃ノ国養老の滝|Yōrō Waterfall in Mino Province (Mino no Yōrō no taki), from the series A Tour of Waterfalls in Various Provinces (Shokoku taki meguri)
諸國瀧廻リ 美濃ノ国養老の滝|Yōrō Waterfall in Mino Province (Mino no Yōrō no taki), from the series A Tour of Waterfalls in Various Provinces (Shokoku taki meguri)
諸國瀧廻リ 和州吉野義経馬洗滝|The Waterfall Where Yoshitsune Washed His Horse at Yoshino in Yamato Province (Washū Yoshino Yoshitsune uma arai no taki), from the series A Tour of Waterfalls in Various Provinces (Shokoku taki meguri)
諸國瀧廻リ 木曾海道小野ノ瀑布|Ono Waterfall on the Kisokaidō (Kisokaidō Ono no bakufu), from the series A Tour of Waterfalls in Various Provinces (Shokoku taki meguri)
諸國瀧廻リ 木曽路ノ奥 阿彌陀ヶ瀧|The Amida Falls in the Far Reaches of the Kisokaidō Road (Kisoji no oku Amida-ga-taki), from the series A Tour of Waterfalls in Various Provinces (Shokoku taki meguri)
諸國瀧廻 東都葵ヶ岡の瀧|The Falls at Aoigaoka in the Eastern Capital (Tōto Aoigaoka no taki), from the series A Tour of Waterfalls in Various Provinces (Shokoku taki meguri)
諸國瀧廻リ 木曾海道小野ノ瀑布|Ono Waterfall on the Kisokaidō (Kisokaidō Ono no bakufu), from the series A Tour of Waterfalls in Various Provinces (Shokoku taki meguri)
諸國瀧廻リ 木曽路ノ奥 阿彌陀ヶ瀧|The Amida Falls in the Far Reaches of the Kisokaidō Road (Kisoji no oku Amida-ga-taki), from the series A Tour of Waterfalls in Various Provinces (Shokoku taki meguri)
諸國瀧廻リ 下野黒髪山 きりふりの滝|Kirifuri Waterfall at Kurokami Mountain in Shimotsuke (Shimotsuke Kurokamiyama Kirifuri no taki), from the series A Tour of Waterfalls in Various Provinces (Shokoku taki meguri)