Artwork
冨嶽三十六景 江都駿河町三井見世略図|Mitsui Shop at Surugachō in Edo (Edo Surugachō Mitsui mise ryaku zu), from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei)
冨嶽三十六景 江都駿河町三井見世略図|Mitsui Shop at Surugachō in Edo (Edo Surugachō Mitsui mise ryaku zu), from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei) is an ink print by the Japonisme artist Katsushika Hokusai. It dates from 1831 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
The work is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where it was acquired through the Rogers Fund in 1922 (object number JP1329).
Mitsui Shop at Surugachō in Edo (Edo Surugachō Mitsui mise ryaku zu), from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei) is a woodblock print by the Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849), created around 1830-32 during the Edo period. Executed in ink and color on paper in the horizontal ōban format, the print measures approximately 10 x 15 inches (25.4 x 38.1 cm). The work is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where it was acquired through the Rogers Fund in 1922 (object number JP1329). As part of Hokusai's celebrated Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji series, this print exemplifies the artist's innovative approach to landscape and cityscape composition, merging commercial urban life with the sacred presence of Mount Fuji in the distance.
Subject & Meaning
The composition depicts a view over the rooftops of Edo's commercial district toward a distant, snow-capped Mount Fuji. In the foreground, three figures occupy a steeply pitched roof on the right side of the image: two crouched near the ridge and one positioned lower down, all reaching upward toward the sky. Two kites fly above them, a large one bearing characters and a smaller red one, their strings extending downward toward the figures. The foreground is dominated by architectural elements including tiled roofs, wooden walls, and two prominent signboards with Japanese text, while a ladder leans against the right building. The scene captures a moment of everyday urban leisure, kite-flying, set against the backdrop of Japan's most sacred mountain. The juxtaposition of the Mitsui commercial establishment, a symbol of burgeoning Edo-period commerce, with the eternal presence of Mountovl Fuji creates a dialogue between temporal mercantile activity and spiritual permanence. The kites, traditional festival objects, add a playful, ephemeral quality that contrasts with the monumental stability of the mountain.
Technique & Style
The print is a nishiki-e, a full-color woodblock print, executed in the horizontal ōban format that Hokusai employed throughout the Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji series. The technique relies on crisp, flat lines with minimal tonal gradation, characteristic of woodblock printing. The palette is dominated by deep blue at the top of the composition, fading to pale cream, with blue water and green foliage in the lower portions. Mount Fuji appears white with dark blue shading. Forms are defined entirely by outline and flat color areas, with no shadows and no visible brushwork texture. The sky exhibits subtle horizontal banding, a distinctive feature of the printing process. Small text blocks appear in the upper left and right edges. The overall finish is smooth and graphic, demonstrating the precision of Edo-period woodblock production and the collaborative efforts of designer, carver, and printer.
History & Provenance
The print was created circa 1830-32, with some sources narrowing the date to approximately 1830-31. It was acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1922 through the Rogers Fund, receiving the object number JP1329. The Victoria and Albert Museum in London holds another impression of the same design, purchased from Sotheby & Co. (Sale of the Happer Collection) and accessioned in 1909 as E.2187-1909. The Tokyo Fuji Art Museum also holds an impression, which has been extensively exhibited internationally. The print has appeared in numerous exhibitions from the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum collection, including shows at the Soka Art Museum in Kaohsiung, Taiwan (2025); Oita Art Museum (2021); the Oscar Niemeyer Museum in Curitiba, Brazil (2015, 2006); and various venues in Japan, Europe, and the Americas from 1990 to 1998.
Artist & collection
Artist
Katsushika Hokusai spent his life in Edo, now Tokyo, where he drew and carved prints for a living.
- 冨嶽三十六景 駿州江尻|Ejiri in Suruga Province (Sunshū Ejiri), from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei)
冨嶽三十六景 東都浅草本願寺|Honganji at Asakusa in Edo (Tōto Asakusa Honganji), from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei)
冨嶽三十六景 江都駿河町三井見世略図|Mitsui Shop at Surugachō in Edo (Edo Surugachō Mitsui mise ryaku zu), from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei)
冨嶽三十六景 駿州江尻|Ejiri in Suruga Province (Sunshū Ejiri), from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei)
冨嶽三十六景 東都駿台|Surugadai in Edo (Tōto Sundai), from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei)
冨嶽三十六景 駿州片倉茶園の不二|Fuji from the Katakura Tea Fields in Suruga (Sunshū Katakura chaen no Fuji), from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei)
冨嶽三十六景 東海道金谷の不二|Fuji Seen from Kanaya on the Tōkaidō (Tōkaidō Kanaya no Fuji), from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei)
冨嶽三十六景 礫川雪の旦|Morning after the Snow at Koishikawa in Edo (Koishikawa yuki no ashita), from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei)
冨嶽三十六景 遠江山中|In the Mountains of Tōtomi Province (Tōtomi sanchū), from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei)
冨嶽三十六景 遠江山中|In the Mountains of Tōtomi Province (Tōtomi sanchū), from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei)
冨嶽三十六景 下目黒|Lower Meguro (Shimo Meguro), from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei)
Compared in the Edo/Japonisme course