LIFE COURSE W25-02O, February 3 - March 17, 2025



Groundbreaking Japanese Landscapes

Instructor: Carol Dorman
carol@floatingworldstudy.com



NHK World Programs


Kurara: The Dazzling Life of Hokusai’s Daughter

Part 1

Part 2

Oi is working along with Hokusai’s other apprentices. One of the first things we see them working on is a commission for a Dutch doctor named von Siebold, to be done in a western style. Little is known about Hokusai’s early life, but by middle age he was a well known artist, and certain aspects of his life are recorded. The paintings for von Siebold exist. It’s known that his daughter Oi had an unsuccessful marriage and lived and worked with her father in his later years. The details of Oi’s personal life and thoughts are imagined, but the events and the artwork shown are real.



Hiroshige Blue

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Hiroshige is not portrayed as I would have imagined him, but it is a nice historical fiction series about his life. The scenes of everyday life are very good. At the beginning they show him on a fire tower in his capacity as fire warden, and then we see how the Japanese fought fires at that time. The series focuses mostly on the 1830s, when Hiroshige was making his name as a landscape artist. It is also quite a sentimental recreation of his life with his wife and family. It's a nice comparison of his lifestyle and art style with Hokusai’s.




Hokusai's Thirty Six Views of Fuji


Following are all 46 designs from TheThirty Six Views of Fuji Series. These are all from the collection of The MET, New York. I have selected the earliest impression of each design that I found within the MET’s collection. Please keep in mind that these are not necessarily the earliest impressions that were made.

The Thirty Six Views of Fuji Series:

  1. Shichirigahama Beach, Sagami Province
    2.
  2. Tsukuda Island, Musashi Province
    3.
  3. Lake Suwa, Shinano Province
    4.
  4. Ushibori, Hitachi Province
    5.
  5. Kajikazawa, Kai Province
    6.
  6. Near Umezawa Manor, Sagami Province
    7.
  7. Mishima Pass, Kai Province
    8.
  8. Ejiri, Suruga Province
    9.
  9. Under the Wave off Kanagawa (The Great Wave)
    10.
  10. Honganji Temple at Asakusa, Edo
    11.
  11. The Tama River, Musashi Province, Edo
    12.
  12. Clear Day with a Southern Breeze (Mount Fuji at Dawn or Red Fuji)
    13.
  13. Fujimigahara, Owari Province
    14.
  14. Sudden Rain Beneath the Summit (or Thundestorm Beneath the Summit)
    15.
  15. In the Totomi Mountains
    16.
  16. Sazai Hall, Five Hundred Rakan Temple
    17.
  17. Snowy Morning, Koishikawa
    18.
  18. Onden Waterwheel
    19.
  19. Sumida River, Sekiya Village
    20.
  20. Under the Mannen Bridge at Fukagawa, Edo
    21.
  21. Surugadai, Edo
    22.
  22. The Cushion-pine at Aoyama, Edo
    23.
  23. Senju, Musashi Province
    24.
  24. Inume Pass, Kai Province
    25.
  25. The Mitsui Stores at Surugacho, Edo
    26.
  26. Viewing Sunset over the Ryogoku Bridge from the Ommaya Embankment
    27.
  27. Lower Meguro
    28.
  28. Tago Bay near Ejiri on the Tokaido Road, Abridged View
    29.
  29. Yoshida on the Tokaido Road
    30.
  30. At Sea Off Kazusa
    31.
  31. The Nihonbashi Bridge, Edo
    32.
  32. The Bay of Noboto, Shimosa Province
    33.
  33. Hakone Lake, Sagami Province
    34.
  34. Hodogaya on the Tokaido Road
    35.
  35. Enoshima, Sagami Province
    36.
  36. Reflection in Lake Misaka, Kai Province
    37.
  37. Lumberyards on the Takekawa River at Honjo
    38.
  38. Fuji Seen from the Senju Pleasure Quarter
    39.
  39. Fuji from Gotenyama at Shinagawa on the Tokaido Road
    40.
  40. Nakahara, Sagami Province
    41.
  41. Dawn at Isawa, Kai Province
    42.
  42. The Back of Mount Fuji from the Minobu River
    43.
  43. The New Fields of Ono, Suruga Province
    44.
  44. Fuji from the Tea Plantation of Katakura, Suruga Province
    45.
  45. Fuji from Kanaya on the Tokaido Road
    46.
  46. Groups of Mountain Climbers
    47.