2015 Volume 124 Issue 6 Pages 917-936
This study surveys pictures of Mt. Fuji in the following three categories: Japanese paintings, pictorial mountain-climbing guide maps, and panoramic maps. To date, art historians have conducted many studies on pictures of Mt. Fuji. However, there have been no studies that consider pictorial mountain-climbing guide maps and panoramic maps as “pictures” of the mountain. Certainly, this study's major contribution to research on Mt. Fuji is its comprehensive understanding of “picture.” More importantly, the fact that most art historians have ignored panoramic maps drawn by Yoshida Hatsusaburo, Kaneko Jyoko, and others in the first half of the twentieth century is a mistake. They did examine Ukiyoe prints by Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Hiroshige, and others from the nineteenth century; nevertheless, both these Ukiyoe prints and the panoramic maps drawn by Yoshida Hatsusaburo were forms of commercial art. Geographers dealt with panoramic maps, which have been examined by other geographers and map enthusiasts. From a geographical perspective, Mt. Fuji drawn as a panoramic map is a valuable research resource. In addition, by examining Japanese paintings and pictorial mountain-climbing guide maps, Mt. Fuji is recognized to be an awe-inspiring subject, as well as the one that can be revered. Furthermore, by examining of panoramic maps, it is demonstrated that Mt. Fuji was recognized to be an object of modern tourism.
