Hokusai’s Fuji calendar ‘62 Japan sewing machine exporters Wood block Art Prints
Among the prints are some of Japan’s 12 Most Famous Japanese Painting Masterpieces
The text in the 3rd image is a famous Japanese poem written in vertical columns (traditional tategaki style), read from right to left and top to bottom. It is “Ame ni mo Makezu” (雨にもまけず), authored by Kenji Miyazawa (宮沢賢治). Here’s the full transcription in modern horizontal Japanese:
雨にもまけず
風にもまけず
雪にも夏の暑さにもまけぬ
丈夫なからだをもち
慾はなく
決して怒らず
いつも静かに笑っている
一日に玄米四合と
味噌と少しの野菜を食べ
あらゆることを
自分を勘定に入れずに
よく見聞きし分かり
そして忘れず
野原の松の林の蔭の
小さな萱ぶきの小屋にいて
東に病気の子供あれば
行って看病してやり
西に疲れた母あれば
行ってその稲の束を負い
南に死にそうな人あれば
行ってこわがらなくてもいいといい
北に喧嘩や訴訟があれば
つまらないからやめろといい
日照りの時は涙を流し
寒さの夏はおろおろ歩き
みんなにでくのぼうと呼ばれ
褒められもせず
苦にもされず
そういうものに
わたしは
なりたい
(宮沢賢治)
English Translation
Here’s a straightforward English translation to convey the poem’s meaning:
Not yielding to the rain
Not yielding to the wind
Not yielding to snow nor to summer’s heat
Having a strong body
Free of desire
Never getting angry
Always smiling quietly
Eating four cups of brown rice a day
With miso and a few vegetables
In all things
Not counting oneself
Observing well, understanding
And not forgetting
In the shade of the pine woods in the field
Living in a small thatched-roof hut
If there’s a sick child to the east
Going and nursing them
If there’s a tired mother to the west
Going and shouldering her bundles of rice
If there’s someone near death to the south
Going and saying there’s no need to fear
If there’s a quarrel or lawsuit to the north
Telling them to stop because it’s pointless
In drought, shedding tears
In a cold summer, walking about anxiously
Called a blockhead by everyone
Not praised
Not bothered
That is the kind of person
I want
To be
(Kenji Miyazawa)
Interpretation
“Ame ni mo Makezu” is a poignant, aspirational poem written by Kenji Miyazawa (1896–1933), a Japanese poet, author, and devout Buddhist known for his works emphasizing compassion, nature, and selflessness. This piece was discovered posthumously in a notebook, and it’s often seen as a personal manifesto or prayer-like reflection on the ideal human character.
• Themes of Resilience and Humility: The opening lines emphasize physical and mental endurance against natural hardships (rain, wind, snow, heat), symbolizing life’s inevitable challenges. The speaker desires a “strong body” not for personal gain but to serve others without complaint. This reflects Buddhist influences, where suffering is acknowledged but overcome through inner strength and detachment from desires (“慾はなく” – free of desire) and anger.
• Selflessness and Compassion: The core of the poem lies in the speaker’s wish to live simply (modest diet, humble hut) and act as a helper in all directions—east, west, south, north—addressing illness, fatigue, death, and conflict. This directional imagery draws from Buddhist cosmology and Japanese folklore, representing wholeness and universal empathy. The speaker intervenes not for recognition but out of pure altruism, advising peace and comfort without ego (“自分を勘定に入れずに” – not counting oneself).
• Acceptance of Obscurity: The closing stanzas highlight a desire for anonymity and indifference to societal judgment (“でくのぼう” – blockhead or good-for-nothing). Being unpraised and unbothered underscores a profound humility, aligning with Miyazawa’s own life of quiet dedication to farming, teaching, and writing amid personal struggles like poverty and illness. It’s a rejection of fame or material success in favor of moral integrity.
• Context and Legacy: Written around 1931 during Japan’s economic hardships and Miyazawa’s battle with tuberculosis, the poem embodies agrarian idealism and spiritual stoicism. It gained widespread fame after World War II, symbolizing reconstruction and resilience in Japanese culture. Often recited at memorials or in education, it inspires living with empathy in a harsh world, much like a secular prayer or ethical creed.
The poem’s simple language and repetitive structure make it accessible, yet its depth lies in the quiet radicalism of choosing kindness over self-interest. If this matches the image you provided, it’s a timeless call to embody quiet heroism in everyday life.
Among the wood block prints, of which there Arequipa, one for each month are:
Hiroshi Yoshida – Fuji from Kawaguchi Lake
Hiroshi Yoshida is known as one of the most important figures of the shin-hanga style (shin-hanga was an art movement in early 20th-century Japan, during the Taishō and Shōwa periods, that revitalized traditional ukiyo-e art rooted in the Edo and Meiji periods (17th–19th century). He was trained in the Western oil painting tradition, which was adopted into Japanese art styles during the Meiji period.
South Wind, Clear Sky (Red Fuji) by Katsushika Hokusai, 1830
From the famous Thirty-six Views of Mt Fuji series, in which the famous peak was depicted from thirty-six different perspectives, this landscape piece South Wind, Clear Sky is by none other than Katsushika Hokusai. The artist is considered an expert of ukiyo-e, particularly in the area of landscape. His woodblock prints resonated with the nation during the Edo period, when many people were concerned with domestic travel. This print, in particular, is a representation of the then iconic location to people of that time, one that remains an iconic symbol of Japan to this day.To find out more, check out Iconic Hokusai Prints: Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji.
Katsushika Hokusai – The Great Wave off Kanagawa
Finally, The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai is probably the most recognizable Japanese painting ever made. It’s actually the most prominent piece of art “made in Japan”. It depicts an enormous wave threatening boats off the coast of the prefecture of Kanagawa. While sometimes assumed to be a tsunami, the wave is, as the picture’s title suggests, more likely to be a large rogue wave. The painting is executed in the tradition of ukiyo-e.
This calendar has been in my collection of Art for decades kept flat in a box covered in plastic and it is now time to let it go to someone who will appreciate it and perhaps discover the beauty and meaning of this over 60 year old historical work of Art.
It has a few imperfections as seen in the photos, the cover shows a bit of age and wear, and the pages within exhibit some yellowing, but it is still well bound and ready for you to remove the woodblock prints for framing and display or to keep it all together as I have.