Hokusai's bird-and-flower (kacho-e) prints are prized for their naturalistic observation and painterly sensitivity. Fine impressions from his horizontal oban series regularly appear at specialist Japanese print auctions.
A branch of plum blossom and a crescent moon float together in the nocturnal air of early spring in this plate from the woodblock-printed book Haru no Fuji (Mount Fuji in Spring) from around 1803. The combination of plum blossoms — the first flowering of the new year — with moonlight and Fuji's seasonal presence creates a meditation on spring's first stirrings, characteristic of the nature poetry collected in such anthologies.
1821
Color woodblock print with metallic pigments; surimono shikishiban
1822
Color woodblock print; shikishiban, surimono
1822
Color woodblock print; shikishiban, surimono
c. 1832
Color woodblock print; oban
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Plum Blossom and the Moon from the Book Mount Fuji in Spring (Haru no Fuji) was created by Katsushika Hokusai (葛飾北斎) in c. 1803.
Plum Blossom and the Moon from the Book Mount Fuji in Spring (Haru no Fuji) depicts birds & flowers, landscapes, and spring, set at Mount Fuji.
