Hodogaya on the Tōkaidō - Katsushika Hokusai

A classic woodblock print from Hokusai's Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, capturing travellers on the Tōkaidō road with the mountain in the distance.

This woodblock print is part of the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, a collection that established the landscape genre within the Ukiyo-e tradition. Katsushika Hokusai depicts the Tōkaidō road, the primary route connecting Edo and Kyoto, at the Hodogaya station. The composition uses a row of tall, slender pine trees to frame the view, creating a rhythmic verticality that contrasts with the distant, snow-capped peak of Mount Fuji.

In the foreground, travellers navigate the path. A man carries a palanquin, while a rider on horseback moves towards the right. The figures are rendered with characteristic economy, their postures suggesting the fatigue of a long journey. Hokusai employs a palette dominated by Prussian blue, a pigment that had recently become available in Japan, alongside earthy tones for the trees and the ground. The sky transitions from a deep blue at the top to a lighter hue near the horizon, a technique known as bokashi, which provides a sense of atmospheric depth.

The print demonstrates Hokusai's interest in the relationship between human activity and the natural environment. By placing the monumental mountain in the background, he positions the travellers as small participants in a vast, enduring geography. The use of clear outlines and flat areas of colour is typical of the woodblock medium, where each hue requires a separate carved block. This work reflects the popularity of travel during the Edo period, as well as the fascination with Mount Fuji as both a religious symbol and a geographical icon. The print remains a clear example of the technical precision and compositional balance that defined Hokusai's later career.