Fuji from Kanaya on the Tokaido (Tokaido Kanaya no Fuji), from the series Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji (Fugaku sanjurokkei)
c. 1830/32
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
24.8 × 38.8 cm (9 3/4 × 14 5/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
23719
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
Katsushika Hokus, the legendary Japanese artist of the Edo period (1603–1868), *Fuji from Kanaya the Tōkaidō* around 1830–32 as part of his revolutionary series *Thirty-six Views Mt. Fuji* (*Fugaku sanjūrokkei*). This color woodblock print, in the large oban format (24.8 × 38.8 cm), captures Mount Fuji from the coastal village of Kanaya along the Tōkaidō, one of Japan's historic five post roads connecting Edo (modern Tokyo) to Kyoto. Hokusai's ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") style elevated everyday landscapes into timeless art, making Mount Fuji—a sacred symbol of Japan—the star of 46 prints (expanding beyond the titular 36). In this scene, Fuji looms dramatically in the distance across a shimmering sea, with travelers and fishermen dotting the foreground under a vast blue sky. Hokusai's masterful use of Prussian blue pigment, imported from Europe, allowed bold gradients and atmospheric depth, a technical innovation in woodblock printing that required precise carving and multiple color blocks. The composition draws the eye from the intimate human scale to the mountain's majestic presence, blending realism with poetic reverence. This print exemplifies Hokusai's influence on global art, inspiring Western Impressionists like Monet and Van Gogh after Japan's opening in the 19th century. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Arts of Asia department, it invites visitors to ponder the enduring allure of nature's grandeur in Japanese culture.
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...