The Weir at Senju in Musashi Province - Katsushika Hokusai

A classic woodblock print by Katsushika Hokusai from his series Thirty-Six Views of Mt. Fuji, depicting rural life near the Arakawa River.

The Weir at Senju in Musashi Province is a woodblock print from the series Thirty-Six Views of Mt. Fuji. Katsushika Hokusai produced this collection during the Edo period, a time when travel and tourism gained popularity among the Japanese public. The composition focuses on the daily activities of local workers near the Arakawa River, contrasting their labour with the distant, snow-capped peak of Mt. Fuji.

In the foreground, a man leads a horse laden with brushwood, while two figures in conical hats attend to fishing lines near the weir. The vertical wooden structures of the weir create a rhythmic, geometric frame that guides the eye across the scene. Hokusai employs a distinct colour palette, utilising Prussian blue for the sky and water, which was a relatively new pigment in Japan at the time. The green tones of the vegetation and the earthy hues of the horses and figures provide a balanced visual weight.

This print demonstrates the artist's ability to combine human activity with natural geography. The inclusion of the weir serves to divide the picture plane, creating a sense of depth that draws the viewer towards the horizon. The work remains a clear example of the technical precision achieved by the carvers and printers who collaborated with Hokusai. By capturing a specific moment in the Musashi Province, the artist documents the intersection of rural industry and the iconic mountain that dominates the series. The print is a study in composition, using the vertical lines of the weir to contrast with the organic shapes of the figures and the distant mountain silhouette.