Mt. Fuji from Lake Yamanaka (Yamanaka no Fuji)

This [shin-hanga](/glossary/shin-hanga) landscape depicts Mt. Fuji as seen from the northern shore of Lake Yamanaka, the highest of the Fuji Five Lakes at roughly 980 meters elevation. The composition likely exploits the lake's broad reflective surface to mirror the mountain's snow-capped cone, a device common among Watanabe-published Fuji prints that doubled the visual weight of the peak. Ito's training in traditional Japanese ink painting would have informed his handling of the mountain's gradated slopes, achieved through careful [bokashi](/glossary/bokashi) gradation on the key block. The calm water and clear air suggest a fair-weather scene, possibly spring or early autumn when visibility at Yamanaka is sharpest. Published under the Watanabe imprint, the print follows [oban](/glossary/oban) format and employs the restrained palette characteristic of Ito's [meisho-e](/glossary/meisho-e) landscapes within the shin-hanga movement.