A Mild Breeze on a Fine Day (Gaifu kaisei), from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjurokkei)

Series:: Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji (print 2 of 46)
Medium:: Woodblock print
Format:: Oban
Source:: Art Institute of Chicago

Typical Price

Later reprint (Meiji–Taisho era publishers): $200–$1,500
Good later impression (Edo-period, faded vermillion): $20,000–$80,000
Good early impression (rich red ground, sharp key lines): $200,000–$500,000
Fine early impression (vivid red, brilliant sky, exceptional paper): $500,000–$900,000

One of the two most famous designs from Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji. Recent records: HK$5.7M (~$735,000) at Sotheby's HK Nov 2025; $478,800 at Christie's Mar 2024, 36% above estimate.

Description

Known familiarly as "Red Fuji," this print from the Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjurokkei) depicts the mountain's volcanic cone flushed a deep reddish-brown in the clear air of an early autumn morning, with a light breeze (gaifu) sweeping away the last wisps of summer haze. It is among the most celebrated designs in the series, prized for its bold economy of color — deep crimson mountain, Prussian-blue sky, white snowcap — and its atmosphere of crystalline stillness.

More Prints by Katsushika Hokusai

The Fishermen of Katase Hauling in Their Nets: The Purple Shell (Murasakigai)

1821

Color woodblock print with metallic pigments; surimono shikishiban

Burdock Root (Kurama gobo), from the series "A Selection of Horses (Uma-zukushi)"

1822

Color woodblock print; shikishiban, surimono

Horse Shells (Umagai), from the series "A Selection of Horses (Uma-zukushi)"

1822

Color woodblock print; shikishiban, surimono

Orange Orchids, from an untitled series of flowers

c. 1832

Color woodblock print; oban

More Landscapes Prints

Lake Kugushi in Wakasa Province (Wakasa Kugushiko), from the series Souvenirs of Travel I (Tabi miyage dai isshu)"

Wakasa Kugushiko

1920

Color woodblock print; oban

Autumn Maple Leaves at Takao, from the album Eight Views of Kyoto (Kyôto hakkei)

Woodblock print

The Beach at Kaiganji in Sanuki Province (Sanuki Kaiganji no hama), from the series "Collection of Views of Japan II, Kansai Edition (Nihon fukei shu II Kansai hen)"

1934

Color woodblock print; oban

Tea Kettle, section of a sheet from the series "Mirror of Stone Rubbings of Views of the Provinces" (Kohon meihitsu ishizuri kagami)

n.d.

Woodblock print; ishizuri-e, section of harimaze sheet

Featured in Collections

Curated cross-cuts that include this print.

Mount Fuji in Japanese Woodblock Prints Meisho-e: Famous-Place Prints

Frequently Asked Questions

A Mild Breeze on a Fine Day (Gaifu kaisei), from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjurokkei) was created by Katsushika Hokusai (葛飾北斎).

Yes — A Mild Breeze on a Fine Day (Gaifu kaisei), from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjurokkei) is part of the Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji series (print 2 of 46) by Katsushika Hokusai.

A Mild Breeze on a Fine Day (Gaifu kaisei), from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjurokkei) depicts landscapes and mount fuji, set at Mount Fuji.