Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei)
Ejiri in Suruga Province
駿州江尻 · Sunshū Ejiri
Katsushika Hokusai · c. 1830–32
What it is
A gust hits the road through the marsh at Ejiri: hats fly, a traveler's papers scatter into the sky like birds, a tree lets go of its leaves — and Fuji, unmoved, is a bare outline on the horizon.
Why it matters
Nothing in the print is wind — everything in it is what wind does. Artists and photographers have been restaging this moment ever since.
What to notice
Fuji is printed as pure outline, almost bare paper — the stillest thing on the sheet is also the emptiest.
"The wind takes what you carry. The road is still there."
The record
- Artist
- Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾北斎 (1760–1849)
- Series
- Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei)
- Date
- c. 1830–32
- Publisher
- Nishimuraya Yohachi (Eijudō)
- Medium
- woodblock print; ink and color on paper
- Source
- The Art Institute of Chicago · 1925.3285
Impression note. What varies between printings is the sky's graded tone and the crispness of the tiny flying papers; a fine impression keeps each sheet distinct in the air. Impression variance is real — printings differ in wiping and fading — and choosing the finest openly held impression is the curatorial act.
Public domain; faithfully reproduced.
Bring it home
Printed to order on EMA matte art paper, 200gsm.
From the same series
Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei)Under the Wave off Kanagawa (The Great Wave)Katsushika Hokusai · c. 1830–32
Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei)Fine Wind, Clear Morning (Red Fuji)Katsushika Hokusai · c. 1830–32
Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei)Thunderstorm Beneath the SummitKatsushika Hokusai · c. 1830–32
Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei)Kajikazawa in Kai ProvinceKatsushika Hokusai · c. 1830–32The road at your moment — Painted Earth’s ukiyo-e style pack.