Mount Fuji, Oshino (Oshino no Fuji)

Date:: 1942
Medium:: Color woodblock print
Format:: Oban
Publisher:

Edition:

Published by Watanabe Shozaburo

Source:

Typical Price

Mount Fuji subjects carry steady collector interest driven by the mountain's iconic status — the universal shorthand for Japan in Western collections. Hasui's Fuji views are more varied than Hiroshige's canonical series, often featuring the mountain from unusual lakeside or riverside perspectives. Combined subjects (Fuji with snow, rain, or moonlight) command the highest premiums within this category. Pre-war lifetime editions bearing the Watanabe copyright seal (A through G types, 1926–1944) are the most desirable.

Pre-war lifetime edition (Watanabe seal): $1,200–$4,000
Postwar lifetime edition (J-seal): $500–$1,800
Posthumous/Heisei edition: $200–$700

Description

Oshino is a village at the eastern foot of Mount Fuji where spring water from the mountain's snowmelt surfaces in a cluster of famous ponds, giving this hamlet an unusually clear view of Fuji rising directly above the water. This 1942 print shows Fuji from Oshino — the lower slopes and summit in spring or summer condition, the village foreground with its ponds below. The Oshino viewpoint emphasized the mountain's base rather than its summit, grounding the famous peak in a specific village landscape.