View of Fuji from Miho Bay, May 1830

Utagawa Kunisada’s “View of Fuji from Miho Bay, May” is a woodblock print dominated by varying shades of blue, a deliberate orchestration of tonality that envelops the viewer. Mount Fuji rises ethereally in the background, a tranquil contrast to the activity in the bay. The composition’s structure relies on a stark juxtaposition: the natural, flowing lines of the landscape against the print’s intentional framing. This tension between the organic and the constructed is crucial. Kunisada plays with perspective, flattening the scene while still conveying depth through tonal shifts. The use of a limited palette serves not as a constraint but as a tool to intensify the formal elements at play. Kunisada engages with the semiotic power of landscape. The formal qualities of the artwork, such as its carefully balanced composition and restricted color scheme, serve to destabilize conventional perceptions, inviting us to consider the symbolic and cultural weight of the scene. By reinterpreting the landscape, Kunisada offers a space for continuous dialogue and reconsideration.