Old View of the Boat-bridge at Sano in Kōzuke Province (Kōzuke Sano funabashi no kozu), from the series Remarkable Views of Bridges in Various Provinces (Shokoku meikyō kiran)

Katsushika Hokusai

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This snowscape depicting the "bridge of boats" at Sano, Gunma Prefecture, in northeastern Japan, is the most striking print in the series. Noted in the cartouche as an "ancient view," the pontoon bridge was famous in early poetry but no longer existed by Hokusai's time. The print features a geometric composition with a bold curve toward the center, emphasizing the potential danger of trying to cross the unstable, snow-piled bridge.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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.

Metropolitan Museum of Art