Katsushika Hokusai: Storm below Mount Fuji (Sanka no haku u), ca. 1830–32

Fuji Above the Storm

Katsushika Hokusai’s Storm below Mount Fuji (Sanka no haku u), also known as Black Fuji, belongs to his Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji series, created around 1830–32. The Japanese title evokes a sudden shower below the mountain: sanka means beneath or at the foot of the mountain, while haku u refers to a passing rain shower.

Two Kinds of Weather in One Image

High above the clouds, Fuji’s snow-tipped summit rises into a clear, softly colored sky. Below, the mountain’s lower slopes descend into darkness, and a jagged flash of red lightning cuts across the bottom right. The division makes Fuji feel immense: the storm unfolds far below a summit that remains still and exposed to the light.

Hokusai builds the drama through contrast rather than a crowded scene. The calm peak, darkened mountainside, and sharp lightning let viewers sense both the scale of Fuji and the force of a passing storm. The lightning’s angular line feels almost startlingly modern.

Black Fuji and Red Fuji

It is rewarding to view this print alongside Hokusai’s South Wind, Clear Sky, often called Red Fuji. Both bring Fuji close to the viewer, but their moods differ. Red Fuji emphasizes a broad sunlit slope and a bright sky; Black Fuji sets a quiet summit above dark weather and sudden energy below. Together they invite a reading in terms of light and shadow, stillness and motion. Their visual relationship is compelling, though Hokusai’s intention to make them a formal pair should not be stated as fact.

Bring this dramatic view into your space with our Storm below Mount Fuji framed poster with art commentary.