Poem by Motoyoshi Shinnō - Katsushika Hokusai

A woodblock print by Katsushika Hokusai depicting a rural coastal scene, part of his series illustrating the classical Hyakunin isshu poetry anthology.

This woodblock print belongs to the series Hyakunin isshu uba ga etoki, or One Hundred Poems Explained by the Nurse, produced by Katsushika Hokusai during the 1830s. The series interprets the classical Hyakunin isshu poetry anthology through the lens of daily life in the Edo period. In this specific composition, Hokusai illustrates the poem by Motoyoshi Shinnō, which speaks of the difficulty of concealing one's love, much like the waves that crash against the shore.

The visual narrative depicts a rural scene along a coastal path. A man struggles to lead a bull laden with a large bundle of straw, while two figures holding umbrellas walk nearby. The composition balances the domestic activity of the foreground with the expansive, calm horizon of the sea. Hokusai employs a controlled colour palette, using muted earth tones for the path and the animal, contrasted against the deep blues of the water and the soft pinks of the sky at dusk. The inclusion of the poem in a cartouche at the top right provides the necessary literary context for the viewer, a common feature in this series.

Hokusai demonstrates his mastery of line and spatial arrangement here. The figures are rendered with precise, economical strokes, and the perspective draws the eye across the stone-paved path toward the distant bay. The print reflects the artist's interest in combining classical literature with the realities of contemporary Japanese life. By placing the poem in a domestic setting, Hokusai makes the ancient verses accessible to a wider audience. This work is a fine example of the technical skill involved in late-period ukiyo-e, where the registration of colours and the clarity of the carved lines remain sharp and deliberate.