Art of Ukiyoe

Under the Waterfall: Hokusai and the Art of Shugendo

After his legendary series “36 Views of Mount Fuji,” Katsushika Hokusai’s most famous set may well be “A Tour of the Waterfalls in the Various Provinces,” published at roughly the same time. The inherent verticality of waterfalls prompted Hokusai to turn his traditionally horizontal landscape designs vertical – oban yoko-e to tate-e – which infused them with roiling modern energy and power, just like the falls themselves. 

Each of the eight designs in this series is wonderfully and creatively drawn and printed, with the artist and the publisher’s team of block cutters and printers experimenting with new ways of showing water cascading down mountains – whether it be in powerful single streams or countless tributaries, always with awed sightseers on hand to take it all in, and to help us, the viewers, appreciate the scale of the thunderous falls.  

But the falls are just the starting points for the stories Hokusai wants to tell. There is a powerful spiritual element in many of these designs. And none more so than in my new featured print, “Roben Waterfall at Oyama in Sagami Province.” Here a group of pilgrims frolic and meditate and undergo “waterfall training” as the icy mountain torrent crashes down all around them.

They are engaged in Shugendo, a mixed- Buddhist and Shinto religion in which practitioners conduct training while travelling deep into mountain passes, scaling mountains themselves or, in this case, bathing themselves and mediating in waterfalls. (I’m simplifying a bit – there’s much more to Shugendo.). 

They are clearly having a wonderful time, cleansing themselves, chatting amongst themselves or with the proprietor of a rest stop, their heads covered in tenugui or not at all. The spray of the water is reflected in countless tiny white dots, the rippled surface of the water is drawn as only Hokusai can, and the falls come from so high up that they appear to emerge from the clouds themselves. 

There’s only one thing you won’t see here – women. 

Shugendo was chiefly a male practice. It was banned during the Meiji restoration and then legalized after World War II. Similar waterfall training is still practiced today – in fact, here’s a video. And yes, women are joining in increasing ranks. It’s about time.

This print is in wonderful condition, with a very – very! – slight horizontal centerfold and some rubbing to the surface on the lower left corner area. The lines are sharp and the colors bright, with the warm earthy oranges contrasting wonderfully with the cool blue of the falls.

Sharon