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Fine Wind, Clear Morning (Red Fuji)

Katsushika Hokusai · 1831 · Various collections
Fine Wind, Clear Morning (Red Fuji)

The artist

Katsushika Hokusai, a Japanese master who made colorful woodblock prints over two hundred years ago.

What you see

Mount Fuji, Japan's tallest mountain, glows a warm red color under a blue sky with little clouds.

The story

Made around 1831, its real name is 'Fine Wind, Clear Morning', because Fuji only turns red on clear autumn mornings.

The style

Hokusai printed it by carving pictures into wood, then pressing them onto paper with layers of ink.

Look closer

Look at the tiny green forest along the bottom and the white snow still resting near the top.

Where to see it

It comes from a famous set of prints called 'Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji', copies of which live in many collections.

Fun fact

It is the calm sister of Hokusai's most famous print, 'The Great Wave', from the very same set.