Preliminary identification
Photo reference
5 uploaded photos
Overview
An original miniature horizontal chuban/koban format Japanese woodblock print (ukiyo-e) depicting Okazaki Station with its castle keeps rising amidst mist and distant hills. Created circa 1804 as part of Hokusai's early 'Shunko Gojusan-tsugi' (New Year / Spring Diversions of the 53 Stations) series, it bears the printed title cartouche reading 'Okazaki-shuku Sono Ni' alongside the printed signature 'Hokusai ga'.
Story
Long before Hokusai painted 'The Great Wave', he pioneered travel imagery in 1804 with pocket-sized Tokaido prints. This scene shows Okazaki Castle peeking through soft spring bands of mist, inviting travelers into its quiet realm.
Maker / Origin
Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) is widely recognized as one of history's most transformative printmakers and painters. During the early 1800s, Hokusai experimented prolifically with Western perspective and landscape seriality, laying the artistic groundwork for his later iconic masterworks.
Condition & Value
Fair to good antique condition. Shows light toning, minor surface foxing/staining near the center sky, and trimming close to or right on the border line, which is common for small travel prints. The colors remain pleasingly legible with visible verso bleed-through.
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Comparable demand stays strongest where maker, originality, and venue confidence line up. Broader examples still trade, but the range tightens quickly when provenance, condition, or selling lane fit is missing.
Best Venue
Specialty auction or a focused dealer with buyers already in this lane.
Signed example with light edge wear and original frame.
Comparable format with stronger provenance and cleaner surface.
Smaller related piece with visible craquelure and trimmed margins.
Period match with softer condition and weaker subject matter.
Close market lane comp with similar material and presentation.