Shower Below the Summit (Sanka hakuu), from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjurokkei)

Series:: Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji (print 3 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, muted tones): $15,000–$60,000
Good early impression (dramatic storm clouds, strong color): $150,000–$400,000
Fine early impression (exceptional atmospheric drama, pristine): $400,000–$1,000,000

Sometimes called "Black Fuji" or "Rainstorm Beneath the Summit." Recent records: HK$7.1M (~$916,000) at Sotheby's HK Nov 2025; $214,200 at Christie's Mar 2024, more than doubling its low estimate.

Description

A summer shower strikes Mount Fuji's lower slopes from a dramatically dark storm cloud while the summit remains clear above the clouds in this print from the Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji. The composition captures a meteorological truth familiar to anyone who has watched Fuji from a distance: the mountain is large enough to generate its own weather systems, with violent local rain at the base and clarity at the peak.

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

Shower Below the Summit (Sanka hakuu), from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjurokkei) was created by Katsushika Hokusai (葛飾北斎).

Yes — Shower Below the Summit (Sanka hakuu), from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjurokkei) is part of the Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji series (print 3 of 46) by Katsushika Hokusai.

Shower Below the Summit (Sanka hakuu), from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjurokkei) depicts landscapes, mount fuji, and rain, set at Mount Fuji.