Yokohama Navy Exchange was where?

Its OK. Teasing is one of the nicest forms of friendship. At least where I come from. Ouch.gottcha. What is life without a little fun. You put me down beautifully! One and two.
How amazing that Steffi has your book. I love woodblock prints and have a few in my "collection". Who isn't a great wave fan. I even have it on my mousepad.

Hiroshige is my favorite with his prints of peasants running around in rainstorms etc., but the print of the big wave with what looks like fingers going out of it is probably the most popular Japanese print. Hiroshige didn't do it, but I don't remember the name of the artist. Practically every American apartment at Harkuraku had a copy of it on the wall. I had one, and carried it around with me for many years before it just wore out.

There is a print by Hokusai called "the great wave" which is maybe the one you mean, Wally. Many of the illustrations in this book are parts of prints, many by Hiroshige, and some of these are at the Metropolitan Museum of Art here in NY. Maybe it's time to go look them up. Some of these drawings are so funny - almost like humorous cartoons.

I just looked it up and it's called "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" and it is by Hokusai - although there are a lot of water/sea pictures, but this is probably the famous one you're talking about.

Thats the one. I have one in my dining room. Unfortunately it is a modern print. Steffi is right, the one at the Met is the real deal. I tried one day to see how much an original would cost, no luck, none for sale. I would guess mucho mula. I do have a little treasure. It is an original print of Hokusai. It is from the Manga
This series depicts average peasants doing daily chores. They are not expensive and are like pencil scetches. This one is only about 8x8 inches and depicts a man with a load of twigs on his back. I suspect this print was cut away from a book or larger peice. There is another that I have called " Crossing the Suda River" It depicts "litter "carriers [paliquin?} with nobility being hoisted accross a river. The neat thing with this one is that it was done expressly for the western market, and the type of scene and method of ferry, did not exist [ according to a friend of mine] thus the whole thing is a kind of put-on. Or a joke on us. At our shop we have a folio of 12 books done in the 1880's of Japan. One shows the canal at Yokohama near Motomachi. From the angle it must have been taken from a bridge near the center of the canal. When I first saw it I was pretty stunned, it was near where my first apartment later would be. Wally, I mentioned that I met a guy that was treated at Kishine. I will be seeing him tomorrow, any little gems I could give him, a little in-joke perhaps, or a name or event. He was a marine who got his leg pretty shot up, but you guys saved it. He was there I think in 71 or 72. Also been meaning to ask Steffi how much she remembers her Japanese. As a first language what impressions last? OK Last call for leaves there must be some use for all these things. Today I must have bagged up a freight car load. Im going to need a bigger tractor.

I entered "hokusai" in the search line at the top of each page of this forum and one of the hits was a link to www.fulcrumgallery.com It's Hokusai section gave the following bio. Thought those discussing this subject of art and artists lately might be interested.


Katsushika Hokusai -- Katsushika Hokusai Bio Pic Japanese painter, draftsman, and wood engraver, one of the foremost ukiyo-e print designers. After producing wood engravings for several years, he became a pupil of the celebrated artisan Shunsho, adopting the name Shunro. In the 1790s he illustrated books and printed cards for greetings and announcements. About 1797 he took the name Hokusai. In all he used over 50 different names. His output was prodigious and his fame widespread, but to the end of his life he lived in poverty and retained his simplicity. Hokusai was distinguished for the variety of his styles, his extraordinary technical excellence, and his observant delineation of contemporary life. His landscapes reveal a startling imagination and a dramatic sense of composition.


------- There are several other hits to explore but I don't have time at the moment.

The Great Wave of Kanagawa I suppose was a tsunami that may have hit the area of Kamakura. I wonder if Hokusai was suggesting that this tsunami was the wave that distroyed the temple that once covered the great Buddha. The temple was taken out in the late 15th century. Before Hokusais time but perhaps not for his artistic reasonds. When we were in Kyoto we visited a section of town that housed many different artisans. If I remember correctly they explained that woodblocks are carved from END grain not the slab side of a board of wood. And that each color has its own block, that when layed over the previous color builds up the final print. At the end of the run then all the blocks are burned. It is hard to envision the precision needed to carve these out and match them up. This for me makes woodblock prnts truly remarkable. There is another school called ichimaiye which is a single sheet process. Who was the best woodblock artist ? This is subject to some discussion but personally as much as I love Hokusai I think Hiroshige really captures what I like.

The humorous cartoons that you saw are no doubt from the manga that I mentioned. These drawings were in fact early cartoons poking fun at people and institutions. These evolved into modern [post ww2] cartoons and now anime. Speaking of whimsical artforms Japanese netsuke or small carvings used as fobs often depict fancyful beasts, goblins and strange creatures doing all kinds of stuff. I absolutely love netsuke and have a few myself. One that I got from my dad is a hen with an egg and a chick comming out. The artist carved it in such a way as to allow the chick to move about while semi-inside the egg. Its like a puzzle carving. You hold it in wonder.. how did they do that? Also love my skinny frog, its pretty sad but has a hopeful expression as to say hey! life is tough but find happiness where you can.

I think you'll enjoy the following online exhibition presented by the Brooklyn Museum of Art, which also owns a large number of wonderful prints, among them the "100 prints of Edo" by Hiroshige. In order to preserve and safeguard these prints for posterity, they are rarely exhibited at the Museum, but they can be seen online - here they are - enjoy!

http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/online/edo/

To clarify - you presss "view prints" on the left side of the screen. When you're looking at a print, you can enlarge any portion of it by bringing your arrow across the picture - it's really a neat way to look at all the great details.

Very wonderful link, they have a great web site. Now I am not sure of what I learned in Kyoto as to the technique of making prints was right or not. Using end grain does seem extreme. Still what a marvelious process.

http//www.mishalov.net/japan1168part3/pictures/japan1168-33html

I have found my old apartment, I am almost 100% sure of it, everything fits. It was in a converted chinese doctors clinic. The writing on the gray buildlng will confirm it if someone can read it. Where is Uco when you need her. Sorry about the link, having some computer gremlins today. Thank for sharing this with me.

Its under Japan 1968 part 3 titled yokohama dock. its next to foreigners cemetary. It is the 10th down on the left. The white barge in the foreground, sorry. Its the gray building on the left.

Peter - that's so exciting! If I can get the exact site, I'll email my friend Michiko in Kyoto and ask her to translate for you - but right now I can't seem to access it - just a bunch of stuff on google. Did you get the address down correctly/completely?

so sorry bear with me.
try this, Yokohama 1968 then Korean Japanese photo collection, then scroll to near bottom, then go to part 3 november 1968 then down to
yokohama dock. The photo shows a boat in the foreground and two buildings in the background. Mine is the one on the right with the writing on the roofline. Its a little hard to read. I would love your Kyoto friend to translate for me. It may be in Chinese as the owner of the building was a chinese Doctor Dr Po.

When I click on the address as listed on your message above, I don't get your site. Google then says "No standard web pages containing all your search terms were found." Sorry - I guess I'm not good at this.

I wish I was better at this not you .. you seem to know how to do this. Try following the above walk through. UGH I need to learn this.

Peter - don't get discouraged. I'll pass along what my son taught me.
In order to correctly copy the internet site you're looking at with the picture of your apartment, try the following:
after highlighting the name of the site, (at the top of your screen), put your pointer there, then while holding down the Ctrl key on your keyboard (on mine it's at the lower left corner of the keyboard), press the key for the letter "C."
You have now copied the site address correctly, and can "paste it onto a message by doing the following:
Again, hold down the Ctrl key while this time pressing the key for the letter "V." This will allow you to "paste" the information.
I can then follow your directions hopefully and take it from there.
Let me know if this works.

Thanks for the help. It won't highlight it only moves the whole screen around. Otherwise I think I can get it. Any suggestions ?