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Hokusai question

DavidB

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8 Feb 2020
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(I apologize if this is the wrong place to ask this -- please let me know if there is somewhere better.)

In the Hokusai woodblock print "Fishing boats at Choshi in Shimosa (Soshu Choshi)," the steersman in the boat in the background is using a rudder to guide the boat, but the steersman in the boat in the foreground doesn't seem to have a rudder.

Any reason why? Is the absence of a rudder here significant?

Thank you,

David
 
Last edited:
That's not a rudder but a fishing net. You can see a man at the bow is also carrying a net on his shoulder in the foreground boat. Most likely he is going to throw it.
 
That's not a rudder but a fishing net. You can see a man at the bow is also carrying a net on his shoulder in the foreground boat. Most likely he is going to throw it.

Thank you for the explanation -- now I get it.

David
 
That's not a rudder but a fishing net. You can see a man at the bow is also carrying a net on his shoulder in the foreground boat. Most likely he is going to throw it.
I see the net on the man's shoulder. Is that another net on the side of the boat?
 
If you are referring to the man in the foreground boat, it has nothing to do with the one in the background boat. They would be the same kind of net, but different ones.
 
If you are referring to the man in the foreground boat, it has nothing to do with the one in the background boat. They would be the same kind of net, but different ones.
No, my question doesn't have anything to do with the boat in the background. There is something long and woven-looking draped over the side of the boat in the foreground. Is that another net?
 
I'll take a guess. It is a covering to put the catch in order to keep it out of the Sun. They probably didn't use water basins.
 
No, my question doesn't have anything to do with the boat in the background. There is something long and woven-looking draped over the side of the boat in the foreground. Is that another net?
Ah I see. That's not a net but something made by rice straw. You can see the man wears koshimino, i.e., grass skirt for water guard. Koshimino is made by rice straw. You can see these two items are the same color.
 
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