Misaka Pass in Kai Province, 1831 by Katsushika Hokusai — restored vintage print print, framed

Japanese Woodblock Prints

Misaka Pass in Kai Province, c. 1831

Kōshū Misaka suimen, from Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji — Katsushika Hokusai

From the Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Japanese prints collection · 1831

$119

Rights & provenance record

Source scan: LOC (Prints & Photographs Division, Japanese prints).
Rights statement of the archive: “No known restrictions on publication. Ukiyo-e print by an artist who died before 1930; the impression itself was published before 1930 — public domain in the United States, Japan and the EU.”
Original print: Katsushika Hokusai, 1831, 1 print : woodcut, color ; 24.9 x 37.2 cm.. Verified 2026-09-13.

This product is a new archival print made from a restored scan of that print. It is not an original antique and is not sold as one.

The story of this print

From the Misaka Pass, on the road from Edo into Kai province, Fuji is seen across Lake Kawaguchi with its reflection laid out on the water. Hokusai draws the mountain bare and brown in the summer light — and gives the reflection a snowy peak, set off to one side, as if the lake were remembering a different season. Scholars have argued about it for a century; the likeliest answer is that he simply preferred the picture with both.

The sheet is one of the calmest in Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji: a village on the near shore under its trees, a single boat on the lake, the far bank in green, the two Fujis in brown and white. It has none of the drama of the Wave and hangs well beside it for that reason.

The Library of Congress impression is early, its colours toned but even; restored from the archive’s scan without redrawing, at the sheet’s own proportions.

Printed to order on archival matte paper or canvas, framed in the country of delivery.

Before and after

Left: the archive scan exactly as published. Right: the file that goes to the printer.

Misaka Pass in Kai Province, 1831: archive scan compared with the restored print

Archive scanRestored

Restoration notes

Restoration: trimmed the mount and scanner margins, balanced levels while keeping the paper tone and the flat colour blocks of the woodblock impression (85% of the original colour retained), removed dust and specks, applied gentle sharpening. Toning, wormholes, the printer's registration and the collector's seals are kept where they belong to the object; nothing is redrawn.

Every print carries its archive credit on the packing slip. Paper tone and small imperfections of the original are kept on purpose; nothing is redrawn.

Questions

What does the print show?

Mount Fuji seen across Lake Kawaguchi from the Misaka Pass, with its reflection upside down in the still water and a small boat crossing. The trick everyone notices: the reflection is snow-capped and sits in a different place from the mountain above it, which is bare.

Is this an original woodblock print?

No. It is a new archival print made from the Library of Congress's high-resolution scan of an original Edo-period impression in its Japanese prints collection. Original impressions of these designs sell at auction for thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars; we never sell originals, and the archive record with its rights statement is on this page.

Can this print be sold legally?

Yes. The artist died in the nineteenth century and the impression was published long before 1930, so the design is in the public domain in the United States, Japan and Europe. The Library of Congress states there are no known restrictions on publication.

Does it come framed?

Yes, if you choose a framed option: a black, white or natural oak wood frame, ready to hang, made in the country of delivery. Unframed archival matte paper and stretched canvas are also available. Sizes follow the print's own proportions — 12×18, 16×24, 20×30 and 24×36 for a standard oban sheet.

Colours vary between screens and paper. The tone you see here is a close match to the archival matte print; framed prints have no glass glare in these previews.

Pairs well with

Hang them together — 10% off the second framed print

Kajikazawa in Kai Province, 1831

Katsushika Hokusai · Library of Congress

$129 24×18 in framed · paper from $35

Ejiri in Suruga Province, 1831

Katsushika Hokusai · Library of Congress

$119 24×16 in framed · paper from $39

The discount is applied automatically at checkout when two or more framed prints are in the cart.

Size	Metric	Best for
18×12 in	46×30 cm	Desk, shelf, small wall, gallery groupings
24×16 in	61×41 cm	Above a desk or console, hallway, bedroom
30×20 in	76×51 cm	Over a sofa or bed, statement wall, office