Title : Yörö Waterfall in Mino Province

Artist : Katsushika Hokusai

Date : c. 1832 - 1833

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Source : Honolulu Museum of Art
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Description : Appearing from an opening atop the high, rugged cliff, the Yörö Waterfall, about 13 feet wide, drops from a height of about 130 feet, cascading with a thunderous roar and spray, hitting the rocks, and emptying into the pool below. With its spray, sparkle, and drifting haze, it is one of the most beautiful of Japan's falls. It is located on Mount Tado in Mino province (present day Gifu prefecture). Hokusai depicts three pilgrims wearing straw hats, who have climbed to a hut at the base of the magnificent waterfall. The two brave ones are stunned by its power and beauty; the other has taken refuge in the hut, overwhelmed by the roar and the spray. According to a historical account, in 716 the Genshö emperor traveled to Mino and came across a falls whose clean water and beauty so impressed him that he said he believed the water must surely have the power to make the aged (yörö) healthy. He changed the name of his era to Yörö, and the cascade became known as the Yörö Waterfall. (Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, “Hokusai and Hiroshige”, 1998)

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