The darker blues shown in the immediate foreground and far background almost create a picture frame for the main focus of the bridge and its contents. The colors used are limited and tend to simplify the landscape, giving it a strong and bold feel to it.
The overall texture of the print is smooth and dull, here again adding to the simplicity of the work. The artist does create a sense of implied texture with the use of lines in the roofs of the buildings and also within the vegetation. The effect created by the surface quality of the work is that of simplicity and perfection, creating a sense of intimacy, not being too dramatic. It also creates a sense of space and boldness within the landscape, not focusing too much on the delicate aspects of nature.
Hokusai depicts a very large landscape within a small setting. The setting itself is rather inviting as it portrays the figures admiring the scenery in the foreground, inviting the viewer to also admire the scenery. The figures in the scenery reflect the mundane tasks of civilization, creating a theatrical, almost abstract setting to create a sense of intimacy. The small-scaled proportion of the entire print also invites the viewer to admire the entirety of the landscape from the bridge in the foreground.
The print tends to create an illusion of spatial depth by the use of linear perspective within the bridge and roofs in the foreground. The use of atmospheric perspective also gives the viewer a sense of depth, starting with the water and bridge in the foreground and then moving back towards the water and structures in the background. The buildings and vegetation in the distance are also smaller in scale, giving the viewer a sense of them being further away.
The composition of the work creates an asymmetrical balance, typical of Japanese art. It seems the artist wants the viewer to focus on the foreground, which contains the majority of items, the bridge and figures going about their daily lives.