Detatched Title Slip from One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku hyakkei) Vol. 3 c. 1835 - 1847

Curator: The simplicity of this detached title slip is striking. It’s from Katsushika Hokusai’s “One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji,” volume three. Editor: There’s a quiet elegance here, almost meditative. The vertical text and aged paper evoke a sense of history and reverence. Curator: Absolutely. The script itself carries immense cultural weight. The very act of depicting Fuji, a sacred mountain, invites a connection to centuries of Japanese artistic and spiritual tradition. Editor: And the fact that it’s detached makes me think about fragments—how objects become unmoored from their original context, taking on new meanings as relics. It speaks to themes of displacement and the passage of time. Curator: Very true. Hokusai’s choice to frame the text with a delicate border also adds to the sense of preciousness, marking the text as something set apart. Editor: Seeing this piece, even just a title slip, underscores art's power to transmit cultural memory and to transform simple materials into profound statements. Curator: Indeed. This humble slip hints at the vastness of Hokusai’s artistic vision.