Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) | Sunset Glow at the Bamboo-Shoot Cliff (Jungai sekisho) | Edo period, 19th century

At the time Hokusai designed this print, the Ryukyu Islands were a topical subject in Edo, with both China and the Japanese province of Satsuma attempting to levy taxes on its inhabitants. A visit by two hundred Ryukyuans to the Shogun in 1832 excited considerable public interest, prompting artists and publishers to capitalise on the moment. Hokusai's series of eight prints adapted illustrations from the Ryukyu kokushirayaku, an official Japanese history of the Islands based on a Chinese book by Shuko (1757), remaining largely faithful to the original compositions while adding boats and other embellishments.

Another impression of the same print is in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, accession number 21.6703, go to:

https://collections.mfa.org/objects/234366

1. Matti Forer, Hokusai: Prints and Drawings (London, 1991), no. 53.