Banana Garden at Nakashima, c. 1832
Katsushika Hokusai; Publisher: Moriya Jiheiexpand_more
Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paperexpand_more
Bequest of Richard P. Galeexpand_more 74.1.315
Not on Viewexpand_more
This scene shows Japanese fiber banana plants growing between houses in Nakashima, today in the western part of the city of Naha, Okinawa’s capital. It is one of a series of eight prints that provide scenic views of the islands by print artist and painter Hokusai, who never traveled to Okinawa himself but used the illustrations in the Chinese book Abridged History of the Land of Ryūkyū (Ch. Liuqiuguo zhilue) as his source. Though the banana plants shown are of the same species from which textile makers harvested fibers, they are purely decorative here. Whole plantations are maintained to support the textile industry.
Details
- Title
- Banana Garden at Nakashima
- Artist Life
- 1760 - 1849
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 74.1.315
- Catalogue Raisonne
- Ukiyo-e shūka 16 (1981), p. 229, horizontal ōban #21.8
- Curator Approved
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
Does something look wrong with this image? Let us know
Zoom in on the left to the detail you'd like to save. Click 'Save detail' and wait until the image updates. Right click the image to 'save image as' or copy link, or click the image to open in a new tab.