Thunderstorm Beneath the Summit

One of the woodblock prints from the Edo period ukiyo-e artist Katsushika Hokusai’s Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji series, reimagined in the form of marquetry art. The “white rain” in the Japanese title of this woodcut print refers to intense summer rainstorms. Thunder roars and heavy rain falls in the foothills of the mountain, but in contrast, the summit of the mountain is sunny and clear. It is said that this contrasting scene is an analogous depiction of heaven and hell. In order to portray heaven, horse chestnut wood with a beautiful ripple pattern was used for the sky in the background.