Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Hyakumeizan: images & ink (1)

Illustrated excerpts from One Hundred Mountains of Japan


Image: Yakushi-dake seen from Goshiki-ga-hara, Japan Northern Alps - woodprint by Yoshida Hiroshi (1926)

Ink: On Yakushi-dake from Nihon Hyakumeizan (One Hundred Mountains of Japan) by Fukada Kyūya (1964)

I still remember that view of Yakushi from the uplands of Arimine. Apparently, the villagers used to say that their mountain changed colour five times a day. Certainly, words cannot describe how beautifully the summit snows caught the hues of the setting sun that evening, as purple shadows deepened on the lower slopes. In late August, the insects were still singing tirelessly in the meadows around us ...

1 comment:

☆sapphire said...

Thanks so much for this lovely post! I love Yoshida Hiroshi's Mokuhangas. And I love his son Toushi(遠志)'s as well. I once climbed Yakushi when I was in high school in summer. As far as I can remember, we reached Murodo via Goshikigahara. Yakushi's mountain-scape I saw was really elegant!! And I saw the Kurobe Dam for the first time!!