Kanaya, het 25ste station 1825 - 1830

This woodblock print titled ‘Kanaya, the 25th station’ was made by Katsushika Hokusai in Japan during the Edo period. Hokusai was a master of ukiyo-e prints that captured the ephemeral beauty of everyday life. This print belongs to the series "Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō," which was a major route connecting Edo, modern-day Tokyo, with Kyoto. By focusing on the everyday lives of the travelers and the landscape they traversed, Hokusai democratized the artistic subject. The composition is divided into three horizontal sections. The foreground shows travelers along the road, while the middle ground depicts the river and the background is dominated by the iconic Mount Fuji. Hokusai's Tōkaidō prints challenged the traditional art institutions of his time, which favored classical and religious subjects, by highlighting the value of popular culture. To understand Hokusai's work better, one might consult the records of the Tōkaidō road, as well as the history of publishing in Japan. The images of the print can tell us much about the social and cultural context in which it was made.