A Reconsideration of Katsushika Hokusai's “Red Fuji”

Article Abstracts in English widely known by its nickname, “Red Fuji.” Looking through How Did Kunisada Choose the explanations of the work found in pictorial compendia or exhibition catalogues shows that this red color is frequently Actors for His Prints? explained as the dawn sun turning the mountain red early on Examining the Tôsei Rokkasen and Tôsei Jûkkasen a summer’s day. And yet, when we look at the color of the sky and the color of the ground surface of Mt. Fuji, the simple Masae KURAHASHI question arises, is this really an image of Mt. Fuji glowing in the reddish dawn sun. Guest Researcher, Kinugasa Research Organization, Ritsumeikan University Two factors can be named in a consideration of whether or not Hokusai was conscious of the morning time frame in his After succeeding to the name Utagawa Toyokuni III, “Red Fuji” image. First is the meaning included in the title he Kunisada produced a series of prints with Utagawa Hiroshige gave the work, Gaifû kaisei, literally fine wind, clear morning. titled Tôsei Rokkasen. The Tôsei Rokkasen prints bear Second is a comparison with other images of Mt. Fuji created kiwame seals dated to the 6th month of 1854 (Kaei 7). This by Hokusai himself. From such a consideration I determined series of six prints presents Kunisada’s half-length portraits that we couldn’t specifically discern a morning light element in of two actors per print, depicted without stage makeup, set “Red Fuji.” against a background of flowers produced by Hiroshige. The Further, the influence relationship between Hokusai’s “Red large-scale depiction of flowers by Hiroshige behind the actor Fuji” and Noro Kaiseki’s Kôgyoku fûyô has been previously images drawn by Kunisada is a unique combination found only noted, I indicate here that it would be hard to consider that the in this series, and in its re-titled and expanded form, the Tôsei two artists were depicting the same natural phenomenon, given Jûkkasen (1858, Ansei 5). This unique design and the pairing the different seasonal and time of day periods depicted in the of one star actor with one mid-ranking actor is an unusual two works. Rather than depicting that red Fuji instant at dawn format, even amongst Kunisada’s own series works. when the morning sun would dye Mt. Fuji red, wasn’t Hokusai The various materials related to critiques of the actors instead depicting the summer form of Mt. Fuji, when all the working at the time of the publication of the Tôsei Rokkasen snow has melted and the mountain’s reddish brown volcanic and the Tôsei Jûkkasen indicate that it would be hard to surfaces are exposed. consider the actors depicted in these series as the tôsei, or Then, why is it that Fine Wind, Clear Morning came to trendy actors of the time. Rather it seems that Kunisada be known as an image of Mt. Fuji bathed in the dawn light? intentionally chose actors who he thought showed promise of I investigated texts related to Fine Wind, Clear Morning future popularity. This trend is particularly strong amongst the written from the beginning of the Meiji period through 1945, mid-ranking actors depicted, and thus such selection reveals the end of World War II in a search for the origins of this Kunisada’s adept actor selection sensibility, given his decades traditional explanation. This study showed that while the Red of familiarity with the theatrical world by that time. Fuji nickname was used for Fine Wind, Clear Morning during Further, the lack of a sense of compositional stability in the Taishô period, the Taishô usage of the red Fuji term did not this series is also a rare feature in Kunisada’s oeuvre. While specifically indicate the natural phenomenon of Mt. Fuji bathed issues with the actor selection and their combination might be in dawn light. Starting with materials dated to 1935 (Shôwa considered the source of such a sense of unease, I believe that 10), there was a sudden increase in the number of explanations it is a result of Kunisada experimenting with something outside stating that Fine Wind, Clear Morning showed Mt. Fuji in the his normal approach. This was Kunisada, who is thought to dawn sun. The reasons for this explanation are twofold. First, have in his later years poured his energy into a compendium we can consider that the development of the Five Lakes of Mt. of actor portraits, including those who had already died. These Fuji area in the northern foothills as a tourist area from the series can be seen as his another plan, focusing on the actors beginning of the Shôwa period onwards meant that there was who would prove to play a major part in a future era of the an increase of the number of people who personally witnessed Edo theatrical world. In this manner, these series are valuable this red Fuji natural phenomenon. Second, as symbolized by materials that speak of one extreme of Kunisada’s late period Yokoyama Taikan’s work, the concepts of dawn sun and Mt. actor print production. Fuji came to be frequently linked in modern painting from the Shôwa 10s onwards. In other words, as the red Fuji natural phenomenon came to be more widely known from the Shôwa 10s onwards, that A Reconsideration of concept was linked to Hokusai’s print with its “Red Fuji” nickname, thus resulting in a growing acceptance of Fine Katsushika Hokusai’s “Red Fuji” Wind, Clear Morning as an image of Mt. Fuji bathed in dawn from his Thirty-Six Views of Mt. Fuji Series light. Is Mt. Fuji Bathed in Dawn Light? Kenji HINOHARA Ukiyo-e Ôta Memorial Museum of Art, Tokyo The Fine Wind, Clear Morning (Gaifû kaisei) print from Katsushika Hokusai’s Thirty-Six Views of Mt. Fuji series is 74.

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