One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku hyakkei), Vol. 1 Possibly 1834 - 1835

Editor: This arresting image, from Hokusai's *One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji*, is like a chaotic dreamscape. The figures seem to be fleeing some unseen disaster. What story do you think Hokusai is trying to tell here? Curator: It's a story of disruption, certainly! Hokusai often used Fuji as a grounding symbol, so to see it absent, replaced by flying debris, suggests a world overturned. Perhaps it’s a metaphor for the societal upheavals of his time or simply a reminder of nature's raw power, its beautiful, terrifying indifference. What do you think? Editor: I hadn’t considered the societal context. Now I see the chaos as potentially symbolic, not just destructive. Thanks!