36 Views of Mount Fuji, Sazai hall Temple of Five Hundred Rakan, Katsushika Hokusai, Japanese Print
An idyllic scene, with five figures – men, women and children – standing upon a veranda outside a temple.
Before them lies a lake or marsh, spreading out to meet the horizon in the distance. The image is composed so that most of the nine figures are seen from the rear, as though the viewer is standing behind them, also observing the view. Mt Fuji, a recurring theme in Hokusai’s work, can be seen in the distance; also identifiable to those familiar with Japanese geography are the lumber yards of Fukagawa. Hokusai’s skill at portraying human subjects is as adept at his mastery of the natural world: the nine figures each have their own character, from the one on the left eagerly pointing in the direction of Mt Fuji, to the one towards the right mobbing sweat from his forehead.
The original Sazai Hall – Temple of Five Hundred Rakan is part of the collection at the British Museum, but with a print of the artwork, any art lover will be able to display this beautiful scene from a bygone Japan right in their very own home. Nobody who appreciates the rich and unique Japanese culture could pass up such an opportunity!
Katsushika Hokusai was a Japanese artist, ukiyo-e painter and printmaker of the Edo period. Born in Edo (now Tokyo), Hokusai is best known as author of the woodblock print series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (富嶽三十六景 Fugaku Sanjūroku-kei, c. 1831) which includes the internationally iconic print, The Great Wave off Kanagawa.
Hokusai created the “Thirty-Six Views” both as a response to a domestic travel boom and as part of a personal obsession with Mount Fuji. It was this series, specifically The Great Wave print and Fine Wind, Clear Morning, that secured Hokusai’s fame both in Japan and overseas. As historian Richard Lane concludes, “Indeed, if there is one work that made Hokusai’s name, both in Japan and abroad, it must be this monumental print-series”. While Hokusai’s work prior to this series is certainly important, it was not until this series that he gained broad recognition.
All prints are made using archival art stocks and UV pigment inks to give up to 200 years life. Choose from unframed, framed and mounted and canvas panel options.
