Bamboo Hedge at Kumemura (Kumemura chikuri), from the series Eight Views of the Ryūkyū Islands (Ryūkyū hakkei)

Bamboo Hedge at Kumemura (Kumemura chikuri), from the series Eight Views of the Ryūkyū Islands (Ryūkyū hakkei)

Katsushika Hokusai

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Hokusai's prints of the Ryūkyū were probably made to commemorate the Ryūkyū mission's arrival at Edo in November 1832. Although the original gazetteer that inspired Hokusai was in black and white, his series is in exquisite color. We can see not only his use of color to heighten the exotic ambiance of the Ryūkyū Islands, but also his imaginative power to make alien islands familiar in the guise of Eight Views. The artist carefully selected representative elements of the Eight Views, such as moon, sailboats and snow.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Bamboo Hedge at Kumemura (Kumemura chikuri), from the series Eight Views of the Ryūkyū Islands (Ryūkyū hakkei)Bamboo Hedge at Kumemura (Kumemura chikuri), from the series Eight Views of the Ryūkyū Islands (Ryūkyū hakkei)Bamboo Hedge at Kumemura (Kumemura chikuri), from the series Eight Views of the Ryūkyū Islands (Ryūkyū hakkei)Bamboo Hedge at Kumemura (Kumemura chikuri), from the series Eight Views of the Ryūkyū Islands (Ryūkyū hakkei)Bamboo Hedge at Kumemura (Kumemura chikuri), from the series Eight Views of the Ryūkyū Islands (Ryūkyū hakkei)

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.