冨嶽三十六景
Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) was about seventy when he began this series. The Fugaku sanjūrokkei (Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji) came out between about 1830 and 1833, published by Nishimuraya Yohachi (Eijudō). There were thirty-six prints at first; they sold so well that ten more were added, forty-six in all.
One mountain, seen forty-six ways. Sometimes Fuji is the subject; sometimes it is only a small triangle in the distance, beyond fishermen, travellers, craftsmen and the everyday life of the city.
The series makes heavy use of Prussian blue, then imported from Europe and called ベロ藍 (bero-ai) in Japanese. This page is laid on that blue, and the prints are the only light.
From 暁 (dawn) to 夕陽 (sunset)
Six of the titles name a time of day or the weather. Set in the order their words give, they walk from daybreak to sunset.
暁
Kōshū Isawa no akatsuki
甲州伊沢暁
暁 (akatsuki): the time just before daybreak.
旦
Koishikawa yuki no ashita
礫川雪ノ旦
雪ノ旦 (yuki no ashita): a morning after snow.
凱風快晴
Gaifū kaisei
凱風快晴
凱風 (gaifū) is a south wind; 快晴 (kaisei), a clear, cloudless sky.
白雨
Sanka hakuu
山下白雨
白雨 (hakuu): a sudden shower.
浪
Kanagawa oki nami ura
神奈川沖浪裏
沖浪裏 (oki nami ura): beneath a wave out at sea.
夕陽
Onmayagashi yori Ryōgokubashi sekiyō mi
御厩川岸より両国橋夕陽見
From the Onmaya embankment, the sunset at Ryōgoku Bridge.
Forty-six prints
The whole series is here; click any print to see it larger. This is not the series' original order.