One of thirty-six prints created by Hagiwara as part of his series Thirty-six Fujis, created between 1981 and 1986. In this print Hagiwara pictures storm clouds rolling in, about to obscure an early winter clear view of Fuji from Gotemba on the southeastern flank of Mount Fuji. Hagiwara masterfully employs his unique color overlay technique to intensify his abstract coloration and a subtle dusting of ground mica highlights the colors.

Sanjūroku Fuji 三十六富士 (Thirty-six Fujis)

Hagiwara created this series between 1981 and 1986, although it was many more years in the planning. It is the artist's homage (some say "challenge") to the famous ukiyo-e print artist Katsushika Hokusai and his Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (富嶽三十六景 Fugaku Sanjūrokkei) created in the early 1830s.  But, whereas, Hokusai's views all include human activity, Hagiwara's thirty-six views focus on seasonal and atmospheric changes without directly showing the presence of man. 

Special techniques used in the production of this series include kirazuri , the sprinkling of mica dust onto a light film of glue on the surface of the print while the ink is wet to achieve a subdued sparkle, the application of sawdust onto the woodblock to achieve an uneveness in the ink, and the use of varnish.  To achieve Fuji's crown of snow, Hagiwara employed the technique of kimekomi (blind printing) a way of pressing out the paper to give a sense of volume. 

Hagiwara's international reputation rests on the abstract woodblocks, bursting with saturated colour and rich in texture, that he has produced since 1958.  The Thirty-Six Views of Fuji, his unique venture into landscape, nevertheless carries over may of these prized qualities... The artist announced in 1979 that he had already been out collecting ideas for the series in the vicinity of Fuji for 'ten years and more' and that he had commenced preparing the blocks 'the year before last'.  Nevertheless he was finding it very difficult to complete the project: modern transport had expanded the number of places for viewing Fuji so much that this was perplexing him.  These sentiments were echoed in the postscript to the publication that accompanied the completed set in 1986, in which Hagiwara wrote that the project had taken him twenty-five years: 'Just when I think I have grasped [Fuji], it slips through my hands. Let's pick up this "slippery Fuji" and keep on going.'1

List of Prints and Thumbnails [to view thumbnails go to Asagiri noyaki (Morning Mist, Burning Fields) from the series Thirty-six Fujis]

Print Details

IHL Catalog	#1625
Title or Description	三十六富士 御殿場初冬 [as inscribed on print]  Gotemba shotō (Early Winter in Gotemba)
Series	Sanjūroku Fuji (Thirty-six Fujis)   三十六富士
Artist	Hagiwara Hideo (1913 - 2007)
Signature	hideo hagiwara - pencil signed by artist in English in lower left margin
Seal
Publication Date	1981-1986
Edition	a. p. 14/20
Publisher	self-published
Carver	self-carved
Printer	self-printed
Impression	excellent
Colors	excellent
Condition	excellent
Genre	sosaku hanga (creative print)
Miscellaneous	"hideo h." watermark in lower right corner of margin.
Format	dai-ōban
H x W Paper	21 x 15 3/4 in. (53.3 x 40 cm)
H x W Image	18 x 13 3/8 in. (45.7 x 34 cm)
Collections This Print
Reference Literature	Gendai mokuhanga no kyoshō Hagiwara Hideo no sekai: Shōwa 61-nen 5-gatsu 24-nichi--6-gatsu 29-nichi, Yamanashi Kenritsu Bijutsukan, 1986, cat. no. 127.