Inume Pass - Koshu by Katsushika Hokusai

This masterly print bears witness to the art of ukiyo-e in its full maturity, illustrating the poetry of travel during the Edo period. Designed by the famous painter and printmaker named Hokusai Katsushika, this work is entitled “Inume Pass - Koshu (36 Views of Mount Fuji)”. It is part of a remarkable landscape series exploring the sacred contours of the country. The image depicts a caravan climbing a steep pass, offering a reflection on human journeying before the immensity of the sacred mountain.

The composition is dominated by a steep, green hillside rising on the right of the image, where two travelers wearing round straw hats are walking. Lower down, along a winding path, two horses laden with bundles and led by a guide travel quietly. A gulf of thick white mist separates this foreground from the background, from which majestically emerges the tall brown silhouette of the sacred volcano, its summit covered with brilliant snow. Low clouds crawl on the mountain sides, adding a sense of mystery to the scene, and the upper sky is tinted with golden yellow and deep blue, creating an enchanting twilight light.

The artist’s dexterity is expressed in the striking contrast between the roundness of the hills and the sharp geometry of the snow-capped mountain. His expert use of color gradation to suggest the mountain mist demonstrates craftsmanship of infinite sensitivity, immediately captivating the viewer.