Sunchū Ōno Shinden
Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji
Katsushika Hokusai
Artwork Description
Sunchū Ōno Shinden depicts Mount Fuji from the reclaimed wetlands of Ōno Shinden in Suruga Province, located between Hara-juku and Yoshiwara-juku along the Tōkaidō Road. Created around 1830–32 as part of Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, the print presents a tranquil rural landscape at dusk.
Farmers guide oxen burdened with bundles of reeds across the marshland known as Fuji Numa. Their silhouettes move steadily westward, mirrored faintly in the water’s surface. Birds in flight follow the same direction, reinforcing a rare compositional unity in which human, animal, and natural elements share a common path.
The geometry of the scene is restrained yet deliberate. The triangular forms of the reed bundles echo the distant shape of Mount Fuji, while the horizontal procession of figures contrasts with the mountain’s vertical stillness. A flock of white egrets connects foreground and sky, guiding the eye across layered space.
The fading light of day softens the landscape. Reflections shimmer across water and cloud, creating a sense of closure. Unlike the dramatic energy of other works in the series, this composition conveys completion rather than tension. Labor concludes, movement slows, and the landscape settles into evening calm.
Through the quiet procession toward home, Hokusai transforms an agricultural moment into a meditation on rhythm and return. The print stands as one of the most lyrical works within the series—a visual reflection on harmony, continuity, and the gentle passage of time.
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 marks a pivotal moment in Japanese printmaking. Through structural clarity, atmospheric depth, and innovative composition, Hokusai reshaped the expressive potential 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.
