Kōshū Inume Tōge
Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji
Katsushika Hokusai
Artwork Description
Kōshū Inume Tōge presents a tranquil ascent along Inume Pass, a route linking Inume-juku and Shimotorisawa-juku. Travelers and packhorses move steadily up the gentle slope, their progression unfolding beneath an open summer sky.
Mount Fuji rises to the left, its peak still crowned with snow while the lower slopes reveal patches of greenery and exposed earth. This seasonal contrast suggests early summer—a moment of transition between spring freshness and full summer growth. The mountain appears stable and distant, anchoring the composition.
The structure of the image is defined by diagonal lines. The slanting path of the pass and the triangular geometry of Fuji create sharp yet harmonious angles, guiding the viewer’s eye upward. At the far left, white clouds billow from the Katsura River gorge, introducing depth and atmospheric softness against the solidity of land and mountain.
Unlike the dramatic violence of The Great Wave or the stark contrast of Sanka Hakū, this print conveys calm progression. Human figures do not struggle against nature; they move within it. The expansive landscape feels measured and balanced, reflecting a quiet harmony between daily travel and enduring geography.
Through restrained color and controlled perspective, Hokusai transforms a simple mountain path into a meditation on journey, season, and continuity.
About Katsushika Hokusai
Katsushika Hokusai was one of the most influential ukiyo-e artists of the Edo period. Active as both painter and printmaker, he expanded ukiyo-e beyond portraits of actors and courtesans into landscapes, nature, and scenes of daily life.
His series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji became one of the most celebrated achievements in Japanese printmaking. Through innovative composition and atmospheric sensitivity, Hokusai redefined the expressive possibilities of landscape within ukiyo-e.
Reproduction
This work is a 20th century lithographic reproduction of Hokusai’s Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji.
It is not an original Edo period woodblock print, but a later limited edition lithograph.
Hand printed and numbered 180/300 in pencil on the lower margin.
Details
Medium: Lithograph
Edition: 180/300
Size: 410 mm × 600 mm
All artworks are sold as shown in the photographs.
