Goten-Yama Hill - Shinagawa on the Tokaido by Katsushika Hokusai

The poetic shock of spring festivities and the exaltation of the pleasures of city life form the subject of this print of an incredible richness of human observation. Within the masterpiece entitled “Goten-Yama Hill - Shinagawa on the Tokaido (36 Views of Mount Fuji)”, the master of ukiyo-e Hokusai Katsushika orchestrates a joyful gathering in the middle of an orchard in bloom overlooking the sea. The composition celebrates the renewal of nature and the complicity of walkers through a profusion of details full of life and collective gaiety.

Numerous groups of walkers and families dressed in colorful blue, green, and red kimonos picnic, dance, and feast joyfully on the slopes of a verdant yellow hill. Several cherry trees with crowns laden with an abundant profusion of pink flowers bloom toward the sky, beautifully framing the landscape with their twisted branches. On the left side, the hill offers a panoramic view of a calm and clear azure sea extending to the horizon, where the distant silhouette of Mount Fuji emerges under a clear sky. On the right, small traditional dwellings and wooden fences complete this resort setting. The brilliant light of the beautiful season floods the scene.

The craftsman’s unique talent shines through in the dynamic arrangement of this multitude of miniature characters and the delicacy of the floral motifs. His expert woodblock printing technique confers a remarkable decorative flatness and a chromatic brilliance of great aesthetic freshness. This meticulous work confirms an immense professional expertise.