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Utagawa Hiroshige, Yoshiwara: The Field of Floating Islands in the Fuji Marshes, no. 15 from the series Collection of Illustrations of Famous Places near the Fifty-Three Stations [Along the Tōkaidō], 1855

Fuji (Mountain)

With its steep slopes and level crater, the snow-capped Mount Fuji has a perfect, archetypal shape. This volcano in Japan has been revered as a sacred destination for centuries.

It is partly thanks to the Japanese printmakers that the mountain has grown into the definitive national symbol. The characteristic shape of the mountain is depicted in countless prints and series of prints.

Utagawa Kuniteru, Winding the Thread, from the series Fans and Illustrations of Silk Farming, 1862

Utagawa Kuniteru, Winding the Thread, from the series Fans and Illustrations of Silk Farming, 1862

Playing with proportions

In their prints, artists played with the proportions of Mount Fuji. The mountain is sometimes the main subject of a print, but landscape prints are often also a bit like picture puzzles, with a mini Mount Fuji somewhere in the background.


Fuji everywhere

Mount Fuji was so important to Japanese culture and the Japanese identity, that it even appears where you would not expect to find it. For example, Hiroshige positioned the mountain in landscapes in which – in reality – it did not belong. Mount Fuji is also often found in the background of portraits and interior scenes.

Utagawa Hiroshige, The Outskirts of Koshigaya in Musashi Province, from the series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji, 1858

Utagawa Hiroshige, The Outskirts of Koshigaya in Musashi Province, from the series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji, 1858

Utagawa Hiroshige, Hara: View of the Ashitaka Mountains and Mount Fuji, no. 14 from the series Collection of Illustrations of Famous Places near the Fifty-Three Stations [Along the Tōkaidō], 1855

Utagawa Hiroshige, Hara: View of the Ashitaka Mountains and Mount Fuji, no. 14 from the series Collection of Illustrations of Famous Places near the Fifty-Three Stations [Along the Tōkaidō], 1855