Gassaku: Mount Fuji 合作・富士山図 (Gassaku Fujisan zu)

Executed in the Maruyama school’s realistic approach, the painting combines careful observation with subtle brushwork to render the mountain’s form and atmospheric effects. Ōkyo’s method often blended Western-influenced perspective with traditional Japanese ink and pigment techniques, producing a clear, naturalistic rendering that distinguishes the piece from more stylized contemporaries.

Created in the late eighteenth century, the painting entered the Western art market in the twentieth century before being acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Its documented provenance traces a path from Japanese ownership through private collectors, ultimately arriving at the museum where it is displayed as part of its Asian art holdings.

The work belongs to a period when Japanese artists increasingly explored collaborative projects, known as gassaku, integrating multiple hands and ideas. Ōkyo, a founder of the Maruyama school, was instrumental in promoting naturalistic observation, and this piece reflects the broader Edo‑era interest in landscape painting that blended scholarly study with popular appreciation of iconic scenery.