Details

Most known for his views of castles and rock gardens, Okiie Hashimoto was also an accomplished painter, as this work clearly attests. In this piece, Mt. Fuji is depicted in repose, its iconic form shown from a distance, viewed from Hachioji, a town neighboring Tokyo located in the shadow of the great mountain. The composition is rendered in bold and expressive strokes, reflecting the artist’s passionate approach to carving out evocative print designs. Fuji’s snow-capped peak and the surrounding’s auburn tones of fall evoke a poetic seasonal transition. It is worth noting that Hachioji was known as the mulberry capital of Japan, the primary ingredient in the creation of Japanese washi—certainly a poignant detail not lost on this print artist.

Connoisseur's Note

This early work is an exceedingly rare painting by this Sosaku Hanga artist. Although clearly talented, Hashimoto did not take on many commissions for paintings or drawings, as Sosaku Hanga artists viewed the print medium as an equally viable—or even superior—art form to that of painting. The aesthetic beauty of this painting, as well as the artist’s accomplished technique, illustrates Hashimoto’s artistic depth and versatile repertoire.