NARUSAWA NO FUJI (Mt. Fuji, Narusawa)

Narusawa is a village on the northern slope of Mount Fuji in Yamanashi Prefecture, situated within the Fuji-Hakone-Izu volcanic zone and known for its ancient lava tree molds and dense aokigahara forest. Hasui's view from Narusawa presents Fuji from the north or northwest, likely foregrounding the dark forms of the aokigahara woodland—a dense sea of pine, hemlock, and cedar growing over hardened lava—against the broad white cone rising above. This vantage produces a distinctly different compositional character from the lake-reflection views of the Hakone region or the long low perspective across the Kanto plain. The Fuji series was central to Hasui's reputation, and each location required a new solution for rendering the mountain's scale and luminosity. The aokigahara foreground, with its dense massed canopy, would have required careful layering of green and grey-green blocks, while the mountain's upper snowfields called for reserved washi and subtle bokashi.