Japan and its history through the cigarette case scenes
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One Hundred Views Of Mount Fuji
One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji (富嶽百景) is a series of three illustrated books by Japanese ukiyo-e artist Hokusai. It is considered one of Japan's most exceptional illustrated books (e-hon), and alongside the Hokusai Manga, the most influential in the West. The first two volumes were published in 1834 and 1835, shortly after completion of his seminal Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, with a third released in the late 1840s.

The books contain over a hundred views of Mount Fuji in various styles and settings; Hokusai shows the peak in pure landscapes, with flora and fauna, in religious and mythological scenes and with different atmospheric effects, but above all, he focuses on ordinary people at work.

The first two volumes are celebrated for their very high standards of woodblock printing, with "extremely fine cutting" and "exquisite gradation" (bokashi) of the grey blocks; they have been called a "masterpiece of monochrome printing".

"Mt. Fuji Through a Scaff Net"

"Mt. Fuji Through a Scaff Net" (網裏の不二) appears in the third (and last) book of the series. It shows a fisherman in the boat near the Tsukudajima (佃島), a small island in Tokyo Bay. The Mount Fuji is seen through the fisherman's net, a four armed scoop-net called yotsude-ami (四手網). It is believed that he fishes for Whitefish or Shiromi (any fish with white flesh).

"Mount Fuji Through a Scaff Net" woodblock print from the series (left) and a cigarette case from the Nogawa workshop (right). From Fred Zweig's collection.

Mount Fuji, which should be one of the main subjects of the print, is hidden behind the net. Since the name of the series is "One Hundred Views Of Mount Fuji" this print invites the spectators to find the mount themselves. The composition leaves a portion of mistery and puzzle, just like the Mt. Fuji itself, being surrounded for centuries by various legends.

"Mt. Fuji Behind a Spider Net"

"Mt. Fuji Behind a Spider Net" (羅に隔るの不二) appears in the third (and last) book of the series. It shows a spider on a spiderweb with the Mt. Fuji behind it. The fallen maple leaf suggests that the depicted scene takes place in autumn.

"Mt. Fuji Behind a Spider Net" woodblock print from the series (left) and a
cigarette case from the Nogawa workshop with the same scene (right).

The original name of the print is 羅に隔るの不二 ("Mt. Fuji is separated by the Ra"). Ra (羅) originally refers to a net used to catch birds, but here it is used to mean a spider's net (web), hinting that the spectator should look behind the web to find the Mt. Fuji. Looking closely one may notice that the spider web lines remind sunrays, with the Sun sitting in the center of the web, just near the spider.

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