Both Banks of the Sumida River at a Glance 絵本隅田川両岸一覧　

This book is a book of kyoka or satirical verses illustrated by Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849), the preeminent ukiyo-e artist of the late Edo period. The book is designed so that the picture on each two-page spread connects to the one on the next pair of pages, moving upstream on the Sumida River. The east bank is view in the distance and the west bank is shown in large scale, close up. In the two-page spreads shown here, the lively depiction of the people on the west bank, in the foreground, is fascinating. These are utterly enjoyable genre pictures in which Hokusai has included elements of the changing seasons. They begin with kite flying, a New Year’s custom, and conclude with year-end and New Year’s customs.