Landscape with Mt. Fuji, Ike no Taiga (1723–1776)

The most memorable pioneer of Japanese literati painting, Taiga showed his talent at an early age. From his late 20s, he traveled throughout Japan living a life inspired by the famed Chinese literati saying “without reading thousands of books and traveling thousands of miles, how can one become an original painter.” During his journeys, Taiga often climbed mountains and directly experienced their views. Mt. Fuji had a special significance for him as a place of timeless landscape, against which transient natural phenomenon demanded particular attention. Taiga climbed Mt. Fuji numerous times, each time experiencing it through different routes. This particular screen represents shinkeizu, or the “True View” tradition, based on the painters’ close observation of natural phenomena. The use of a large six-panel screen, a medium indigenous to medieval Japan, greatly enhances this dynamic mountain view.