Lotus Root and Spatterdocks

Dating to 1808, this Katsushika Hokusai print combines lotus root and spatterdocks (a yellow pond lily) into a tightly composed botanical study. The lotus root, with its swollen, segmented form, lies prominently in the foreground, while the spatterdock flower and its broad lily-pad leaves rise above the water surface to balance the composition. Both plants belong to the same aquatic landscape, and Hokusai uses their visual contrast to demonstrate the variety contained within a single pond ecosystem. As an Edo [ukiyo-e](/glossary/ukiyo-e) print, the sheet illustrates how the kacho-ga tradition could be expanded to include not only birds and conventional flowers but also vegetables and root forms that carried strong dietary and medicinal associations. Lotus roots were a staple Japanese ingredient, valued for their crispness and decorative cross-section, while spatterdocks were familiar from the marshes that flanked the Sumida and other Edo waterways. Hokusai treats each form with attention to its natural color and to the textures that define it, from the smooth, mottled skin of the lotus root to the waxy surface of the lily pad. The composition shows his confidence in arranging organic shapes across a vertical format without the support of a strong narrative or architectural frame. The Victoria and Albert Museum preserves the print within its Hokusai holdings. The sheet is one of a group of botanical works the artist made in this period, all of which testify to his immersion in the natural world and to the broader Japanese culture of seasonal eating, gardening, and pond-keeping that surrounded ukiyo-e production. The print continues to reward attention as both visual design and quiet domestic still life.