Comment - Image of travelers at New Year's, with the snow-capped peak of Mount Fuji rising majestically in the distance. A traditional holiday decoration of pines and bamboo frames the scene at left, with an unusual Edo kite propped against the pines of the wooden container. The charakter on the kite means "wealth" or "prosperity" " 富". The Kanji character may be read as "Tomi" or "Fu". With Mount Fuji ("富士山", "Fu"-Ji-San") in the background, the Kanji character is an allusion to Mount Fuji.  Some of the men carry heavy wooden chests, while the bald man at right leans forward holding a red lacquer tray. The stick with the circle belongs to a man guiding and performing monkeys. A lively scene at E-Katsu station of Mount Fuji. There is another scene with a kite from the same series ("Shichu Station at Mount Fuji") in volume three of this series.

This woodblock print is page No. 21 of the first volume of HOKUSAI's manga book "One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji" ("富嶽百景 初編", "Fugaku Hyakkei shohen"). Sometimes art dealers cut the manga books to make more profit by selling individual pages.

The original Japanese title printed on the upper right of this page is "E-Katsu station at Mount Fuji" ("え且の不二",  "e katsu no fuji"). There is a coloured woodblock print as a spin off of this Manga.


Series - "Hokusai Manga" ("北斎漫画", "Hokusai manga") Illustrated book. The manga title ("100 Views of Mt.Fuji") is printed on the upper right rim ("富嶽百景"); the title of the page (page 21) is in the upper right corner.


Artist - see Biography


Signature - none (book page), but the sub-title "painted by the honorable old madman" ("Ga-kyō rōjin manji hitsu", "画狂老人卍筆") on the front (back) of original manga book, refers to Hokusai, combining several of his late epithets;


Publisher - Nishimura Yūzō (西村祐蔵), Reprint 1860, Edo version


Image Size -  20.0 x  14.0 cm   (7 9/10" x 5 1/2") + margins as shown)


Condition - Woodblock manga (e-hon); ink on paper, singled out sheet, cut from manga;