Posted by John Fiorillo on February 05, 2002 at 08:28:21:
In Reply to: Re: Question on "Travellers Crossing the Oi River" from Hokusai posted by Guy Pepermans on February 04, 2002 at 15:10:41:
Guy,
You ask a good question, but I'm not convinced by the suggestion that the design depicts a bridal journey. On the left there is a large container carried by porters that has the character 'kotobuki' or 'ju'. Sure, it can be translated as "long-life" and such a sentiment would be commonly offered to newlyweds, but what else in the picture supports that interpretation? Two 'kago' and a large flat of stacked boxes are being carried in the opposite direction, while the single travelers hoisted on the backs of the various porters seemingly have nothing to do with the 'kotobuki' container. Possibly the authors of the Michener exhibition catalog reached their conclusion without realizing that the character was directly connected with the name of the publisher, and so decided that the character on its own was a clue to the contents of the container. I would still assume the reading should be 'ju' for the publisher Eijudô.
For those who do not recognize which Hokusai design we are discussing, here is a link to a copy that I could quickly find on the internet:
John
