Part of the Same (Sono ni) [Appearance of Hōeizan (Hōeizan shutsugen)]: Detached page from One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku hyakkei) Vol. 1 Possibly 1834 - 1835

Editor: This is a page from Hokusai's *One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji*. I’m struck by how the mountain almost disappears behind the figures. What do you make of that choice? Curator: It's fascinating, isn't it? Hokusai was keenly aware of the symbolic power of Mount Fuji within Japanese society. By obscuring it, he may be commenting on the everyday lives and labor that exist even in the shadow of such an iconic symbol. Perhaps the focus is on *their* cultural significance. Editor: That makes so much sense. I was too focused on the mountain itself. Curator: It’s a clever inversion, showing how the mundane and the monumental are intertwined in shaping cultural identity. I’ll definitely remember this perspective. Editor: Me too! Thank you!