Rekiishi

This suite of prints appears to be a reinterpretation of the images that Odagiri Shunkö (1810-1888) produced for his version of Famous Views of Owari Province (Owari Meisho Zue), 1838-1841.The title in the upper right corner literally translates to "weathered stone." Though a section of modern-day Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture is known by those Chinese characters (pronounced in that context as "Tsubuteishi"), Toyota City is situated far inland, so Hokusai's image of the sea with sailing ships visible in the distance indicates that the title of his print literally refers to the beach stones that the women are collecting. These stones, pronounced as "reki-ishi," were used up until the Edo period to decorate holy sites such as kofun burial mounds. The location Hokusai depicts, therefore, is likely modern-day Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture, in which a kofun burial mound is situated and which overlooks both Miwaka Bay to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the south.