Dragon ascending Mt. Fuji

A pale, serpentine dragon with a visible ribbed spine emerges from a dark, roiling mass of black-brown ink near the base of a steep diagonal slope, its body trailing off toward the lower right edge of the composition. The slope, rendered in graduated sumi-toned washes with streaks of bare paper suggesting snow or rivulets, fills the upper portion of the image against a pale, misty ground; a red seal and brushed signature appear at the lower left. The palette is limited to warm greys, blacks, and cream, giving the scene a muted, atmospheric quality; this is Ogata Gekko's "Dragon ascending Mt. Fuji," a mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock print).