Japan: Mount Fuji, by Katsushika Hokusai, c.1831.

Mount Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan at 3,776.24 m (12,389 ft). An active stratovolcano that last erupted in 1707–08, Mount Fuji lies about 100 km southwest of Tokyo. Mount Fuji's exceptionally symmetrical cone is a well-known symbol and icon of Japan and is frequently depicted in art and photographs. It is one of Japan's ‘Three Holy Mountains’ along with Mount Tate and Mount Haku.

Fuji is nowadays frequently visited by sightseers and climbers. It is thought that the first ascent was in 663 by an anonymous monk. The summit has been thought of as sacred since ancient times and was forbidden to women until the Meiji Era. Ancient samurai used the base of the mountain as a remote training area, near the present-day town of Gotemba.

Hokusai (1760-1849) was first and foremost a ‘ukiyo-e’ (floating world) painter of the Edo period. This painting is from his well-known series of woodblock prints titled, ‘36 Views of Mount Fuji’.

In this illustration, Hokusai’s signature appears in the cartouche at the top-left of the picture.

Copyright:

Supplier: CPA Media Co. Ltd.

Credit:

Pictures From History

Theme:

FLOATING WORLD