In a recent New Yorker Talk of the Town, we came across this surprising image: a Japanese ukiyo-e print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi made in 1842 (from a show at the Japan Society). It’s called “Haysuhana Prays Under a Waterfall”. The idea knocked us out: of praying, meditating, thinking… just plain sitting… under a waterfall, for a while.

(One hundred and fifty years ago Kuniyoshi created hundreds of wild woodblock prints of giant spiders, skeletons, women warriors, ghosts and samurai…Apparently his work has had a major influence on today’s manga and anime artists. You can see more here.)