Hokusai’s Mount Fuji: Two Visions Through Print
Erin H. Poe - January 30th, 2025
On a recent archival trip to the Art Institute of Chicago, I had the opportunity to explore works of Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849), a prominent Japanese ukiyo-e artist of the Edo period. Hokusai’s mastery of various pictorial and printing techniques became strikingly evident as I was presented with two artistic perspectives of the revered peak.
In A Mild Breeze on a Fine Day from the series “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji” (c. 1830-32), Mount Fuji dominates the skyline as an imposing yet serene figure. Just as the snow-capped peak breaks through the clouds, the saturation of the coral tones on the mountain’s surface brings the peak down to earth, creating a sense of warmth and calm grandeur. The composition seems to be meticulously structured as if to venerate Mount Fuji, Hokusai almost compositionally reinforcing its cultural and spiritual significance to the pictorial space and perhaps to a broader historical narrative. The deep cerulean-green trees affixed to the mountain’s base further establish this scale that intensifies the enormity of Mount Fuji. Hokusai’s—or conceivably the printer’s—execution of crisp lines and careful gradation of vibrant colored ink demonstrates a high-quality woodblock printing technique. There are no human figures in the scene, a choice that further elevates Mount Fuji to that of a divine, spiritual symbol rather than a mere geographical landmark. The overall effect is timelessness and stillness as the mountain seems to be an eternal force of nature. Therefore, Hokusai’s print, being visually appealing and connected to a famous series, points to the potential that this work was widely disseminated and was intended for commercial print sales.
Katsushika Hokusai, A Mild Breeze on a Fine Day (Gaifu kaisei), from the series "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjurokkei)", 1825–1837, color woodblock print, oban, 24.2 × 36.5 cm. Clarence Buckingham Collection, Art Institute of Chicago, 1952.341.
In contrast, Hokusai’s Mount Fuji from Lake Ashi in Hakone (c. 1830) presents an atmospheric vision that lacks the same reverence for the mountain. In this print, the mountain top does not dominate the composition but instead almost blends between the foreground and background. The colors used are notably subdued compared to the other, with the palette’s dark, muted greens and faded blues producing a quite ominous and lackluster ambiance. Further, the absence of a clear blue sky framing the scene contributes to a lack of stability and warmth compared to the permanence of those elements in “A Mild Breeze on a Fine Day.” The variation in shrubbery and emphasis on textural details demonstrates a different artistic focus for Hokusai that contrasts with the other print’s monumental stillness. The mountain is no longer the central, unshakable presence in the composition but interacts dynamically and equally with its surroundings. From what can be gathered through the visual analysis technique, the print’s physical condition, with its worn paper and drab palette, indicates that it might not have been produced for mass sale in the same way I believe the other work may have. The more elaborate writing and possible embossing at the top may indicate that “Mount Fuji” was a private commission or was produced for a more specialized audience as opposed to the first print that may have been intended for a more worldly audience beyond Japan.
Katsushika Hokusai, Mount Fuji from Lake Ashi in Hakone, 1825–1840, color woodblock print with metallic pigments, shikishiban, surimono, 20.3 × 17.7 cm. Gift of Helen C. Gunsaulus, Art Institute of Chicago, 1954.899.
Viewing Hokusai’s prints in person at the Art Institute provided a new layer of depth to my analysis, as standing before these works allowed me to appreciate the subtle details and the bold, deliberate choices Hokusai made in terms of color and composition. Both of Hokusai’s prints can be seen to highlight differing interpretations of Mount Fuji, spanning from a revered, dominant depiction to an idle image of a peak fully immersed into a broader, more organic landscape with written accents. Ultimately, the contrasting artistic choices implemented by Hokusai—whether color-related, compositional, or stylistic—reflect his undeniable versatility as a print artist. Hokusai does not merely depict Mount Fuji but rather underscores the peak as being culturally significant to many as well as being intimately connected to the natural world through diverting artistic approaches.
