Katsushika Hokusai, Dragon ascending Mount Fuji from 'One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji' (Fugaku hyakkei), a woodblock print

Hokusai (1760-1849) had achieved enormous success with the publication of his series of colour prints 'Thirty-six views of Mount Fuji' (Fugaku sanjūrokkei) between about 1829 and 1832. The series was even extended by a further ten prints. Following this he went on to design 102 more views of the famous peak which were published in three volumes over a period of about fifteen years. They were printed from blocks made in the workshop of the master carver Egawa Tomekichi. For this book, Hokusai chose to work in monochrome. He used fine black line and various subtle shades of grey, concentrating on eccentric and imaginative compositions, rather than the realistic depiction of actual places.