tour 19 of 19
Views of Mount Fuji
Hagiwara Hideo, 'In the Valley between the Buildings' (Biru no tanima ni), a colour woodblock print
From the series
'Thirty-six Fujis' (Sanjū-roku
Fuji)
The
view is from Shinjuku on the west side of the centre of Tokyo, the
'second city centre'
(fuku-toshin) that
underwent staggering development of high-rise buildings in the
period of rapid economic growth from the 1960s through the
1980s.
The artist has
juxtaposed distant Fuji with the unyielding side of a skyscraper in
the foreground. At the fringes of West Shinjuku, the current
high-water marks of redevelopment, the scale of the buildings
suddenly drops away to normal again, providing a clear perspective
westwards across Musashi
Plain.
However, today Fuji
is only visible from Tokyo for a few days each year when the
meteorological conditions relieve the smog and exhaust fumes,
typically on New Year's Day when the traffic
stops.