Oceans of Wisdom (Japanese: Chie no umi (千絵の海)[1]) is a chūban yoko-e (19 × 25.4 cm) sized woodblock print series by the Japanese artist Hokusai. The ten fishing-themed prints comprise one of Hokusai's rarest sets. Published by Moriya Jihei,[2] it seems to have been issued around 1832–1834[3][4] and publication of the prints ceased abruptly. Some preparatory drawings are extant for prints that were never made.
| "Whaling Off Gotō" from Oceans of Wisdom | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Hokusai |
| Year | Published c. 1832–1834 |
| Type | Wood block prints |
| Dimensions | 19 cm × 25.4 cm (7.5 in × 10.0 in) |
The prints, which feature scenes of fishing including shellfish-gathering, whaling and fly-fishing, allow Hokusai to explore one of his favourite themes, that of man expressing himself through labour and harmoniously working with the forces of nature.[citation needed] This is particularly evident in the print Chōshi in Shimōsa Province, which shows fishing boats struggling in a stormy sea, echoing his roughly contemporaneous The Great Wave off Kanagawa.[3]
The series' use of colour differs from other landscape prints of the time. It has richly overprinted shades and an unusual palette of yellow, green and varying red pigments.[citation needed] Hokusai also employs the rare technique of using black for colour and not just line, suggestive of the influence of Western oil painting.[5]
Title edit
The title of the series can be read in two ways. The characters 千絵の海 read as "One Thousand Pictures of the Ocean"[6] (or "One Thousand Pictures of the Sea"),[7] but when read aloud the title sounds like "Oceans of Wisdom".[1]
Prints edit
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Fishing by Torchlight in Kai Province (甲州火振 Kōshū hiburi) -
Whaling off Gotō (五島鯨突 Gotō kujira tsugi) -
Fishing at Uraga in Sagami Province (相州浦賀 Sōshū Uraga) -
Chōshi in Shimōsa Province (総州銚子 Sōshū Chōshi) -
The Tonegawa River in Shimōsa Province (総州利根川 Sōshū Tonegawa) -
Basket-fishing in the Kinu River (絹川はちふせ Kinugawa hachifuse) -
Fly-fishing (蚊針流 Kabari-nagashi) -
Waiting Nets (待チ網 Machi-ami) -
Fishing in the Miyato River (宮戸川長縄 Miyatogawa nagawa) -
Noboto in Shimōsa Province (下総登戸 Shimōsa Noboto)
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Notes edit
- ^ a b Izzard, Sebastian (1984). "Hokusai's 'Chie no umi', 'The Oceans of Wisdom'". Impressions (9): 8–12. JSTOR 42598049.
- ^ Izzard 1984, p. 8.
- ^ a b Calza 2003, p. 484.
- ^ "Noboto at Shimōsa, from the series One Thousand Pictures of the Sea"
- ^ Izzard 1984, p. 12.
- ^ "Fishing Boats at Choshi in Shimosa (Soshu Choshi) from the series "One Thousand Pictures of the Ocean (Chie no umi)"". artic.edu. Art Institute Chicago. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
- ^ "Noboto at Shimōsa (Shimōsa Noboto), from the series One Thousand Pictures of the Sea (Chie no umi)". metmuseum.org. Met Museum. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
References edit
- Lane, Richard (1989). Hokusai: Life and Work. E. P. Dutton, New York. ISBN 0-525-24455-7.
- Calza, Gian Carlo (2003). Hokusai. Phaidon. ISBN 0714844578.