Book excerpt: Hokusai ́s 53 Stations of the Tokaido 1804 Vertical is something completely different from his 1801 and 1802 series and from the 1804 horizontal. It is different from his famous 36 Views of Mt Fuji 1832, which are sublime artistic expressions distilling a long life ́s work. This series shows his development of the themes based on the two first series, 1801 and 1802, and a transition to his 1804 horizontal series, which again is a precursor to his sublime 36 Views of Mt Fuji. As the reader progresses through Hokusai ́s Tokaido series it will become evident how Hokusai develops the concept, develops the format, the themes and then mixes them with true genius. This series is different from the many other well known 53 Stations of the Tokaido in that Hokusai does not focus only on the landscape and the markers that Hiroshige and others showed.