Primary sourcePainting

Women in a Rowing Boat on a Lotus Pond

Hokusai Katsushika

A Hokusai woodblock print of women in a boat on a lotus pond, showing his work in genre and nature subjects.

This print was designed by Hokusai, showing his skill in genre and nature scenes.

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Woodblock print of a red-and-yellow rowing boat on a dark blue pond with lotus leaves. Several women in red and pink robes sit and kneel in the boat, one at the stern holding a long pole, others reaching toward the water. A green bank with bushes is at left, and a poem cartouche is at upper right. — Hokusai Katsushika, Women in a Rowing Boat on a Lotus Pond. Albertina Museum, Vienna.

About this source

What it is

This woodblock print by Hokusai shows a group of women in a red-and-yellow boat crossing a pond covered with lotus leaves. It is held by the Albertina Museum in Austria.

Why it matters

Hokusai was a master of ukiyo-e, the 'pictures of the floating world' style that captured everyday beauty, nature, and leisure in Edo-period Japan. This print combines a flower-and-bird subject with a genre scene of women at leisure, showing the range of his output beyond his famous landscapes.

Look closer

What mood does the combination of colours and the pond setting create?
What do the women's poses suggest they are doing?
What might the poem written in the cartouche add to the scene?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Hokusai on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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