Bai Juyi (Hakurakuten) - Katsushika Hokusai

A classic Ukiyo-e woodblock print by Katsushika Hokusai depicting the poet Bai Juyi, featuring refined line work and the iconic Prussian blue pigment.

This woodblock print by Katsushika Hokusai belongs to the series A True Mirror of Japanese and Chinese Poems (Shiika shashin kyo). The work depicts the celebrated Tang dynasty poet Bai Juyi, known in Japan as Hakurakuten, during a legendary encounter with a Japanese priest. The narrative stems from the Noh play Hakurakuten, which recounts the poet's arrival in Japan and his subsequent debate with a local deity disguised as a fisherman.

Hokusai employs a vertical format to balance the human figures against the towering, craggy rock formations that dominate the upper register. The artist uses a refined colour palette, dominated by Prussian blue, which was a relatively new and fashionable pigment in Japan at the time. The water is rendered with stylised, rhythmic lines that suggest movement, while the figures are dressed in patterned robes that demonstrate the artist's attention to textile detail. The central figure of the poet holds a scroll, a reference to his literary output, while the surrounding figures engage with the coastal environment.

The composition reflects the artist's interest in combining classical literary themes with the visual conventions of the Ukiyo-e school. Hokusai avoids excessive ornamentation, allowing the clear outlines and the contrast between the solid rock forms and the fluid water to define the space. The print demonstrates the technical precision of the Edo period woodblock printing process, where multiple blocks were used to achieve the specific colour separations seen in the robes and the atmospheric clouds. This piece offers a glimpse into the cultural exchange between Chinese literature and Japanese artistic interpretation during the early 19th century.