わが袖は

潮干に見えぬ

沖の石の

人こそ知らね

乾く間もなし

にじょういんのさぬき

わがそでは

しおひにみえぬ

おきのいしの

ひとこそしらね

かわくまもなし

Lady Sanuki

My sleeves are like

A rock at open sea

Even at ebb tide

Unseen by anyone and

Never ever dry. 

Hokusai

Lady Sanuki (1141? - 1217?), or Nijo-In no Sanuki, belonged to the court of emperor Nijo and was later lady-in-waiting to emperor Gotoba’s consort, Ninshi. She is one of the Thirty-Six Immortal Poets. There are seventy-three poems of her in imperial collections.

The theme of this poem as mentioned in the Senzai Wakashu is ‘love like a rock’. Lady Sanuki has seen it as steadfasty love even in adverse times.

On Hokusai’s drawing we see a family of clam diggers, ama. Clams, shells and scallops are collected at ebb tide. The woman is nursing a baby and still participating in the heavy work; this means providing nourishment and loving care even when life is tough. Again Hokusai first and foremost depicts the life of the common people, and interprets the poem in a very practical way.