Moonlight on the Yodo River (Yodogawa), from the series Snow, Moon, an

A full moon hangs over a wide river at night, where several flat-bottomed boats carry passengers and cargo across the dark blue water. On the right, a tiered castle tower rises above a stone-walled embankment, while pale sand banks and low hills stretch along the far shore under a soft, hazy sky.

Look closer: Small lantern-lit boats and a figure with a pole in the distant water.

Artist

Katsushika Hokusai

Date

ca. 1833

Medium

Woodblock print; ink and color on paper

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Size

1914 × 1292 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Henry L. Phillips Collection, Bequest of Henry L. Phillips, 1939