Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paperexpand_more
Gift of Louis W. Hill, Jr.expand_more P.70.148
This extremely simple composition is one Japan’s most iconic artworks,
and arguably Hokusai’s most powerful and enigmatic rendering of Mount
Fuji. Showing a solitary mountain in russet tones, it is nicknamed “Red
Fuji (Aka Fuji ). The title South Wind, Clear Weather indicates that the
mountain takes on such an appearance at sunrise during summer, when
a warm breeze from the south blows across Japan. In his Fuji series,
Hokusai had no interest in actually representing nature as it was, but was
rather more intent on creating dramatic views like this one, where he
made the mountain much steeper than it actually is. Since he did not
sketch from life, it seems somewhat pointless to try to track down the
actual location for every view. Even so, however, the location for this
particular view is generally believed to be situated somewhere north or
northeast of the mountain, in today’s Yamanashi Prefecture.
This record is from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator, so may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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