Among Shiba Kokan’s surviving oeuvre, at least eleven paintings of the same subject—ten executed in oil, and one in ink—present a similar composition to this work. The best known one, currently in Kobe City Museum, is dated 1796 and titled Soshu Kamakura Shichirigahama by the painter himself. The work was first commissioned as an ema (illustrated votive tablet) by Atagoyama Shrine in Edo, today’s Tokyo. Among the Shichirigahama beach paintings, two different positions of Mount Fuji are observed. In the present one and eight others, Mount Fuji is located on the right to the Enoshima islet as in real life, whereas in the Kobe City Museum painting and three others, it is depicted on the left to the Enoshima islet. Naruse Fujio speculates the difference being an evolution from right to left so that Mount Fuji seems to be farther away from the similar viewpoint. However, an etching dated 1787, the earliest example of the subject by Kokan, on which Mount Fuji is represented on the left to the islet, suggests that it may not be the case.

Interactions between Kokan’s Shichirigahama Beach paintings and ukiyoe prints are notable. Matthi Forrer points out that Hokusai adopted Kokan’s composition in his work that is included in the 1797-published illustrated book Yanagi no ito (Willow-silk), and he gradually developed Kokan’s rising wave in the foreground into the great wave in his renowned masterpiece Kanagawa oki namiura. Hokuju, Hokusai’s disciple, also took up this composition. On the other hand, there had been ukiyoe prints of the Enoshima islet preceding Kokan’s Shichirigahama Beach paintings. The similar composition, for example, is found in Kitao Masayoshi’s print of Enoshima islet, dated between 1781 and 1789. Kokan, a former ukiyoe painter, must have been aware of and influenced by his predecessors.

Shiba Kokan (painter; 1747−1818)
Also known as Ando (early family name); Ueda (later family name); Shun; Katsusaburo; Kichijiro; Kungaku; Shunparo; Seiyodojin; and etc.
Edo-born late Edo period painter. Learned painting first under Kano Hisanobu, later ukiyo-e under Suzuki Harunobu and the Nanpin School painting under So Shiseki. Influenced by Hiraga Gennai, studied Western style painting under Odano Naotake, mastered etching-making and created the first etchings in Japan. Also produced oil paintings, depicting Japanese landscape in a Western painting style. Expounded the Western Science in Japan in late years. Wrote the book Shunparo hikki (Notes by Shunparo).