9.Surugadai in Edo 東都駿台
Surugadai, Eastern Capital
The name remains to this day
around modern-day Ochanomizu Station
The slope still exists
but likely not as steep as Hokusai once drew it
When Hokusai places Fuji in the distance
he rarely leaves the foreground flat
Instead, he carves a hollow
a concave form made from layered elements
and at the deepest point of this hollow
Fuji rises — sharp, solitary, and clear
Convex and concave
This composition comes alive
when the eye traces the inward curve
and finds Fuji exactly where the gaze rests
In Surugadai in the Eastern Capital
the curve is drawn from the slope of the hill
and the lines of the tiled rooftops
Some say
"Fuji is merely a backdrop — he sought to portray Edo life"
Indeed, this street is alive
Samurai
Townspeople
Farmers
Merchants
Each figure speaks of a city in motion
But look closely
Even the figures follow the curve
No one climbs the stairs before them
Instead, they traverse the slope like a cliff —
for the composition demands that curve
So rather than saying
"Fuji is a supporting actor to Edo life"
it may be truer to say this —
Through Edo’s topography
and every detail of its life
he painted Fuji
Every line
every figure
every roof
points to it
Fuji is the main charactor
Herein lies Hokusai’s discerning eye for beauty
05
10.The Tamagawa River in Musashi Province 武州玉川
Bushu Tamagawa
Also known as the Tama River
It flows between present-day Tokyo and Kanagawa
Judging by the size of the ferry and the width of the river
this is likely the midstream section
Bushu Tamagawa
And yet, Hokusai does not follow the rules of perspective
The packhorse driver and his horse in the foreground
are far too small compared to the ferry
Most likely
the driver and horse are their true size
while the ferry is exaggerated
To balance the composition
he rewrites the scale
Between the Tama River and Mount Fuji
he places only clouds
No land, no landscape
By leaving that space empty
he draws attention to what matters
At the foot of Mount Fuji, he paints trees
Trees with clear, defined shapes
Yet from the distance of the Tama River
such detail would be impossible
These trees live only in Hokusai’s mind
He chooses what to show
and what to withhold
He paints not what he sees
but what he feels
Herein lies Hokusai’s discerning eye for beauty