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  Detail: signature and seals

 

Height: 345.000 mm
Width: 685.000 mm

Asia JA JP ADD605 (1979.10-8.035)

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Views of Mount Fuji

Sakai Dōitsu, Mt Fuji and Pines, a hanging scroll painting

Mt Fuji was a favourite theme of artists of the Rimpa school, which flourished in the Edo period (1600-1868). They specialized in a stylized and boldly decorative art. Dōitsu (1845-1913) was the son of Yamamoto Sōdo, who was a pupil of the important Rimpa artist Sakai Hōitsu (1761-1828).

This composition places the mountain to the left of a rectangular space, as was traditional. The peak is covered in snow, but the slopes beneath are given a rather colourful treatment using tarashi-komi - a technique unique to the Rimpa school where ink is dripped onto areas of still-wet paint to create a puddled effect. 'Dry brushwork' creates the illusion that the mountain is disappearing into the mists below, and the pines have stylized, mushroom-shaped foliage. The trees undoubtedly represent the pine groves of Miho-no-Matsubara, a celebrated spot from which to view Fuji.