Fuji from Kanaya on the Tōkaidō, 1830-1834 Many of Hokusai’s most famous images come from Thirty-six Views of Mt Fuji – a series comprised, in fact, of 46 prints, after an additional group of 10 compositions were added to the series due to the popularity of the originals. This print shows the Oi River, one of the widest and most difficult waterways to cross on the Tōkaidō Road, depicted as a treacherous spring torrent with a repeating pattern of surging water and foam. Because there was no bridge across the river, travellers had to be carried from one side to the other.

Photograph: Japan Ukiyo-e Museum/NGV International