Page 66 - September 21 2021 Important Japanese Art Christie's NYC

PROPERTY FROM THE SPRINGFIELD MUSEUMS
(LOTS 24-83)

47 KATSUSHIKA HOKUSAI (1760-1849)

The Amida Waterfalls in the far
reaches of the Kiso Road

Woodblock print, from the series Shokoku
taki meguri (A tour of waterfalls in various
provinces), signed Saki no Hokusai Iitsu hitsu,
published by Nishimuraya Yohachi (Eijudo),
circa 1832
Vertical oban: 15º x 10¿ in. (38.7 x 25.7 cm.)

$20,000-30,000

PROVENANCE:
Raymond A. Bidwell (1876-1954), Springfield,
Massachusetts

A close-up view of the falls as the water plunges through a
dark, narrow and mysterious ravine, while the overwhelming
majesty of the scene is underscored and enhanced by the
diminutive figures of the two sightseers seated on an outcrop
while their servant prepares a meal; the strange circular gap
in the cliffs was thought to resemble the head of Buddha, and
the site was consequently known as the Amida Waterfall. The
dramatic qualities of the design are enhanced by the sudden
and unexpected way that Hokusai, recognising the physical
limitations of the size of an oban print, has cut off the lower half
of the crashing water in full flow and left the viewer to imagine
its continuing descent.