Bay of Noboto

One glance at the painting and one would notice that there is a lot going on in there. The painting belongs to the Edo period, i.e. from 1615 to 1868; it was painted by Hokusai somewhere during 1830-1834 to be precise.

The Bay of Noboto, one of the most renowned Japanese paintings, belongs to the series titled ‘Thirty Six Views of Mt. Fuji’ or ‘Fugaku Sanjurokkei’ at number 23 in the list. The series comprises of a collection of landscape prints focusing on Mt. Fuji, as evident from its name or title. The series has some of the best landscape prints of Mt. Fuji as it showcases the majestic mountain from different locations and also under various weather conditions and seasons. Also, Thirty Six Views of Mt. Fuji garnered many a positive reviews from art critics and connoisseurs, hailing it as an ‘indisputable color print masterpiece’!

Originally comprising of thirty six paintings, the artist later added ten more paintings to it owing to the success of the same. Back in the days, the Bay of Noboto, located in Shimosa province, was one of the busiest bays in Japan. This Ukiyo-e style painting by Hokusai captures everyday life of the bay perfectly. The busy day-to-day scene at the Bay of Noboto is indeed a treat for the eyes; of course, the picturesque surroundings make the painting all the more spectacular. Here, we see fishermen busy at work in the water. Other pedestrians along the bay includes hawkers, peddlers and even a child walking with what seems to be his/her parent.

Katsushika Hokusai was a popular Japanese artist and Ukiyo-e painter. He draws his influences from Sesshu Toyo, another prominent Japanese artist as well as various styles of Chinese paintings. He was born in Edo, which is current-day Tokyo and is rumored to be quite obsessed with Mount Fuji, which is the primary reason for the birth of this series. Through this series he gained broad recognition from different corners of the world. The painting can be used in any room with an oriental or Japanese theme. It depicts the everyday life of Japanese during the Edo period and is a masterpiece in itself, therefore it definitely renders a special touch to the room it is housed in.