Ferry Sailing to Shichiri Ferry Port/ Miya, from the series Exhaustive Illustrations of the Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō (Tōkaidō gojÅ«santsugi ezukushi) Possibly 1810

Curator: Looking at this print, my first thought is of pure serenity. It’s like a gentle lullaby captured on paper. Editor: Indeed. This woodblock print, “Ferry Sailing to Shichiri Ferry Port, Miya,” is part of Hokusai's "Exhaustive Illustrations of the Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido." The Tokaido Road was a crucial route that linked Kyoto and Edo, bustling with travelers. Curator: There's such incredible detail packed into such a small space, only about 11 centimeters square! I love how the water has these little etched lines. It feels so alive! Editor: Hokusai really mastered movement. You can see the cultural importance of travel represented here. Woodblock prints like these were also relatively affordable, making art accessible to a wider audience. Curator: It makes you imagine all the stories that boat could tell, all the people it carried. Makes me want to hop right on and sail away. Editor: And it gives one a peek into the dynamic world of 19th-century Japan. It's a brilliant piece of history and art, all in one tiny square.