冨嶽三十六景　登戸浦|Noboto Bay (Noboto no ura), from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei)

Art Historical Context

Katsushika Hokusai's *Noboto Bay (Noboto no ura)*, from the groundbreaking series *Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei)*, captures the majestic mountain from a coastal vantage point in the early 1830s. Created during Japan's Edo period (16151868), this woodblock print exemplifies ukiyo-e, the "pictures of the floating world" that celebrated everyday beauty amid urban life. Hokusai, then in his seventies, revolutionized landscape art by depicting Fuji from 46 varied perspectives—far more than the title suggests—showcasing it under different weather, seasons, and human activities. Printed with vibrant inks and colors on paper, the work measures about 10 x 15 inches, ideal for affordable distribution among merchants and commoners. Hokusai's innovative techniques, like bold Prussian blue pigments and dramatic compositions, emphasize spatial depth and atmospheric effects, making Fuji both distant icon and intimate presence. Human figures and gate-like structures in the scene ground the sublime nature in daily coastal life, perhaps evoking travelers or fishermen at Noboto Bay. This print's cultural resonance endures: Mount Fuji, a sacred Shinto symbol of eternity, reflects Japan's reverence for nature. Hokusai's series profoundly influenced Western artists like Van Gogh and Monet, bridging Eastern and global modernism. A Rogers Fund purchase at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, it invites visitors to ponder humanity's harmony with the eternal peak.

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...