Mishima Pass in Kai Province (Koshu Mishimagoe), from the series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjurokkei)
- Series:
- Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji
- Date:
- ca. 1831
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Source:
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Image courtesy of
- Art Institute of Chicago
Description
Mishima Pass in Kai Province presents one of the Fugaku sanjurokkei series' most dramatic treatments of scale contrast. Three travelers pause at the base of an enormous cryptomeria cedar whose trunk extends beyond the top of the composition, entirely dwarfing the human figures and, by extension, emphasizing the vastness of natural forms even when Fuji is visible in the far background. The figures — one with hands clasped around the trunk in apparent awe — provide a humbling human measure. Fuji appears as a distant, diminished form framed by the forest canopy, inverting the series' usual hierarchy in which the mountain dominates. The cedar's bark texture is rendered through intricate line blocks, and the pale blue mountain behind the dark foreground foliage demonstrates the print's sophisticated use of atmospheric perspective. The pass site connects Sagami and Kai Provinces through the Kanto mountain range.
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Featured in Collections
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Frequently Asked Questions
Mishima Pass in Kai Province (Koshu Mishimagoe), from the series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjurokkei) was created by Katsushika Hokusai (葛飾北斎) in ca. 1831.
Yes — Mishima Pass in Kai Province (Koshu Mishimagoe), from the series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjurokkei) is part of the Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji series by Katsushika Hokusai.
Mishima Pass in Kai Province (Koshu Mishimagoe), from the series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjurokkei) depicts landscapes, mount fuji, and travel scenes, set at Mount Fuji.