Description

On a wooded rocky outcrop stands a five-story pagoda, its gray tile roofs tapering in stages and its red-lacquered railings providing strong accents of color. Below, a brilliant red bridge spans a gorge, accompanied by a small torii, while a narrow waterfall drops into the depths in the background.

In the foreground, a turquoise stream winds its way between moss-covered rocks, and a freshly leafed tree brings bright green into the otherwise muted color scheme. Rising above it all is first a rugged, partly snow-covered peak, and behind it, blue and almost immaterial, the unmistakable silhouette of Mount Fuji. The layering of warm rock, cool water, and blue distant mountain divides the narrow vertical format into three clearly distinguishable zones, without the composition falling apart as a result.

The combination of sacred building, red bridge, and sacred mountain condenses several symbols of Japanese landscape into a single image. Signature and red seal appear at the lower left. Executed as a screen print on silk, this hanging scroll titled Pagoda and Red Bridge in Front of Mount Fuji is a colorful, instantly recognizable motif.