Saigyo Hoshi gazing at Mt. Fuji c. 1730s

Nishimura Shigenaga created this woodblock print entitled “Saigyo Hoshi gazing at Mt. Fuji” in eighteenth-century Japan. Mount Fuji was more than just a mountain; it was and is, a symbol of Japan, imbued with spiritual and cultural significance. Here, we see Saigyo, a poet-priest known for his wanderings and love of nature. His gaze towards Fuji suggests a deep connection to the land, a reverence for its beauty, and perhaps, a search for enlightenment. Think about the cultural moment in which Shigenaga created this print. Japan, under the Edo period, was experiencing relative peace and prosperity, leading to a flourishing of arts and culture. Prints like these catered to a growing merchant class with new access to leisure and a taste for art. But prints like these also helped to shape Japanese identity, reinforcing a sense of shared culture and history. Saigyo, in his simple robes, becomes a figure through which viewers could contemplate their place in the world, their relationship to nature, and their understanding of Japanese identity. The image invites us to pause and consider our relationship with the landscapes that define us, both physically and culturally.