Enoshima in Sagami Province (Soshu Enoshima), from the series "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjurokkei)"

Art Historical Context

In Katsushika Hokusai's *Enoshima in Sag Province (Soshuoshima)*, from his iconic series *Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fug sanjurokkei)*, created around 1830–33, we witness the master's genius in ukiyo-e woodblock. This color woodblock print on oban paper (25.8 × 37.5 cm) captures the island of Enoshima off Sagami Province's coast, with the majestic Mount Fuji dominating the horizon. Hokusai, at the height of his career in Japan's Edo period, revolutionized landscape art by emphasizing Fugi's spiritual presence amid everyday scenes, making the sacred mountain accessible to all. The series, comprising 46 prints in total (expanding beyond the titular 36), marked a bold innovation: Hokusai was the first to produce full-color landscapes in this format, using precise woodblock carving and layering of pigments for vivid blues, greens, and subtle gradients. Printed for mass consumption, these affordable works reflected ukiyo-e's "floating world" ethos—ephemeral beauty of nature and travel—while elevating printmaking to high art. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Arts of Asia collection, this piece exemplifies Hokusai's enduring influence, bridging Japanese tradition with global admiration. Fun fact: Hokusai, who lived to 90 and changed his name over 30 times, called himself "the old man mad with painting"—a testament to his relentless pursuit of perfection in every Fuji vista.

About the Artist

Katsushika Hokusai · 1760–1849

Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) stands as one of history's most influential artists, a Japanese master who revolutionized the ukiyo-e woodblock print tradition and profoundly shaped Western art. Born in the Katsushika district of Edo (modern-day Tokyo) to an artisan family, Hokusai lived through nearly nine decades of extraordinary creative evolution, adopting over thirty different artistic names t...