Monday, February 22, 2010

Mt FUJI

At 3776 metres, Mt Fuji is Japan's highest mountain, and the Japanese have felt a deep affinity with it since ancient times. Its shape is the result of repeated volcanic eruptions, which began around 100,000 years ago.
Mt Fuji, a symbol of Japan, is well known worldwide. The appearance of the mountain varies constantly according to the changing seasons and even the passage of time during the course of a day.
the reasons for this are related to Mt Fuji's location and its conical shape, sweeping upward unbroken from the coastal plain. Moisture-laden winds blowing off the ocean hit the side of the mountain and are forced upwards, creating many different shapes of clouds.
For example, clouds look like a giant bamboo hat are known as KASAGUMO, literally"bamboo hat clouds". And some phenomenon,which can be seen when the sun comes up from behind the summit of the mountain, is called "Diamond FUJI". Against the sunlight, the silhouette of the mountain stands out very clearly. The appearance of Mt FUJI keeps changing , yet it remains awesome and beautiful at all times. Mt FUJI has been an object of worship for centuries. countless numbers of people have dreamed of climbing it at least once in their lifetime. In the early 19th century, some people unable to make the pilgrimage to the mountain would sometimes create a miniature version of Mt FUJI called FUJIZUKA, literally"mound FUJI"in an area close to where they lived. these mounds served as substitutes for the real thing. Mt FUJI has also been the subject of many paintings and poems.
KATSUSHIKA HOKUSAI, who lived during the late EDO period, created a series of wood block prints depicting scenes including the mountain in a wide range of compositions. It is called 36 view of Mt FUJI. This is one of HOKUSAI's masterpieces, RED FUJI. It is thought that the artist managed to capture a very brief moment when Mt FUJI, bathed in the early morning sun, glows red. This is another well-known print in the series. HOKUSAI created a great sense of depth by contrasting the large barrel frame with the tiny peak of mt FUJI, that can be seen through it. From time immemorial, Mt FUJI has been etched into Japanese hearts as an everlasting presence. The beautiful mountain is really like a mother to the Japanese.

No comments: