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Answer: (b) 46

Originally 36 prints were planned, but the series was so popular that 10 additional woodblock prints were added. Although Mount Fuji has long been a popular theme in Japanese art, this series of woodblock prints by Edo period artists Hokusai is one of the most famous.

Hokusai’s “Gaifu Kaisei” aka the Red Fuji

Mount Fuji and Ukiyo-e Woodblock Prints

Katsushika Hokusai began painting his 36 Views of Mt. Fuji in 1823 and they were released in 1831 when the artist was already in his early seventies. The series, which depicts Mount Fuji in various seasons and from various vantage points, was immensely popular, and part of the series’ great success was the artist’s effective utilization of Western painting techniques. The landscapes are also unique in their various use of perspective, from Red Fuji, which has a full view of the mountain taking up the entire print to that of the equally famous print, Behind the Great Wave at Kanagawa, which shows only a mere glimpse of the mountain behind the looming ocean wave. Hokusai’s series not only had a great impact on other Japanese woodblock artists, but had a strong impact on artists abroad, most notably in the world including Vincent Van Gogh and Claude Debussy. Originally, the series had a planned number of 36 prints?hence the title. The prints proved to be so popular, however, that an additional 10 were added making for a total of 46 woodblock prints. Many woodblock artists, from Hokusai to Hiroshige, were to create works on the theme of Mount Fuji. We also have much great literature as well?from poems to short stories?on the theme of Japan’s greatest mountain.

Hiroshige’s “The Sea Off Satta in Suruga Province”