Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾北斎

For the Japanese people, kami (spirits and deities) inhabit the natural world, and waterfalls are revered for their power to cleanse and purify. These prints depict two sacred waterfalls on the Japanese archipelago—the Amida Falls (left), named for the Amida Buddha after a monk achieved enlightenment at the site, and Rōben Falls (right), a popular site for purification rituals. Hokusai framed the source of the Amida Falls within a circle, imbu- ing it with a sense of mystique. He depicts pilgrims cleansing themselves at Rōben Falls before they proceed to a nearby temple or shrine.

—WC