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Artwork of the Week

Artwork of the Week: Yōrō Waterfall in Mino Province

Hokusai, Yoro Waterfall.jpeg
Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849), ‘Yoro Waterfall in Mino Province,’ from ‘Tour of the Waterfalls in Various Provinces,’ c. 1833, woodcut, 15 x 10 inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art, purchase/gift of the Mahonri M. Young Estate, 1959.

While Katsushika Hokusai is best known for “The Great Wave off Kanagawa” from his famous series “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji,” an equally stunning series is “Tour of the Waterfalls in Various Provinces” which houses woodblock prints like “Yōrō Waterfall in Mino Province.”

Even as “Yōrō Waterfall in Mino Province” diminishes the size of the falls to accommodate the scale of the travelers, the figures seem to acknowledge their smallness against the immensity of nature. What Hokusai takes away in height, he adds in mystique with cloud formations that create the illusion of a waterfall falling from the heavens. Intense blues and whites turn the waterfall into a thing of myth, not a new event for Yōrō Waterfall; it was first famous for a legend of water that tasted like sake, a Japanese rice wine. Hokusai captures both the majesty of the waterfall and the awe of travelers as they watch the wall of water crash to the ground.

Guest author: Maren Petersen

Past Artworks of the Week

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'Night Street Scene' by Julian Joseph

July 01, 2025
Artwork of the Week: July 1
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'Studio Interior' by Julian Alden Weir

June 24, 2025
Artwork of the Week: June 24
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"Horse Trough, NYC 9th Ave" by Mahonri Young

June 16, 2025
Artwork of the Week: June 16
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