Hokusai's 'Fine Wind, Clear Morning' (1830s)

Katsushika Hokusai’s ‘Fine Wind, Clear Morning’ is possibly one of the most globally recognised pieces of Japanese art in the world. It is also known as South Wind, Clear Sky or Red Fuji and is an ukiyo-e wood block print by world-renowned Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849).   Dating from about 1830–32 in the Edo period, it is part of his much-loved 'Thirty Six Views of Mount Fuji' series, which helped secure Hokusai’s fame and popularity within Japan and overseas.

Part of his monumental ‘Thirty Six Views of Mount Fuji’ series, his prints are currently held by museums worldwide, including the British Museum in London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

In early autumn when, as the title specifies, the wind is southerly and the sky is clear, the rising sun can turn Mount Fuji ablaze.  This print depicts Mount Fuji in a deep, saturated red with thin white lines of snow tracing lines down from the tip of the peak. Small clusters of clouds fill the sky, and tiny trees grow to the base of the mountain, indicating its massive size and majesty.

Hokusai’s passion and infatuation with Mount Fuji is evident in his lifetime of work.  Fuji-san is much revered in Japan for its majestic beauty and magical qualities. The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter told that a goddess placed an elixir of life at the top of the peak, and thus the mountain was a secret source of immortality.