"The Great Wave Off Kanagawa"
Japan's highest mountain, seen in the hollow of the "Great Wave Off Kanagawa"
by the woodblock artist Hokusai Katsushika is the most famous in his series,
Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji," a collection of woodblock prints depicting
"Fuji san" in its many moods and rightfully considered
one of the great works of ukiyo-e.

Artists such as Hokusai and Hiroshige were perhaps among the first to depict,
in woodblock prints, something that Japanese had known for centuries, that
the "face" of "Fuji san" was an ever changing one, depending on the
season and locale from which it was seen.

On clear days, "Fuji san" is visible from many of the surrounding prefectures;
here, its crest is seen through the haze of a Fall sky from Tokyo Tower.

Its name, according to some, comes from the Ainu word "futchi" meaning fire
and to that is added the Japanese word for mountain,"san," hence "Fuji san."
There is another, different word in Japanese, also pronounced "san," which is
an honorific automatically attached to the surnames or even given names of
people, denoting respect. It is of course coincidental but to many in Japan,
"Fuji san" is held in the same regard as that acknowledged by the honorific
"san" which seems quite appropriate.

Considered to be one of the most beautiful conical volcanos in the world,
Fuji san is the monarch of Japan's mountains, rising above the clouds
to a height of 12,388 feet. At its base, it forms an almost perfect circle,
stretching 22 to 25 miles, East to West and the same, North to South.

Fuji san has probably been the subject of more paintings, more photographs
and more poems than any mountain in the world and perhaps the
explanation for this is that the "view" (as Hokusai put it)
or the "mood" of the mountain itself is always changing.

It changes with the time of day, with the seasons, with the temperature
or atmospheric conditions so that no matter how many
times one sees Fuji san, it is always different!

Basho, the 17th century haiku master, while gazing at the mountain across the
waters of Lake Kawaguchi was inspired to make note of the occasion . Because
of the mist, Fuji san seemed to change every minute and Basho wrote:
On Kawaguchi's shore I muse,
While Fuji through the changing mist
Presents all hundred views.

It is not only the woodblock artist or the photographer or poet who sees
the eternal beauty of this now silent volcano, it is also the passenger on
a speeding train who catches a glimpse of it from his window, the
tourist who comes to appreciate why it was on his "must see"
itinerary, the farmer who sees its reflection in the water of
his rice paddy and the more than 200,000 everyday folk,
thirty percent of whom are non Japanese, who come
to honor Fuji san by making the climb each year.

Although there are climbers year round, the best time to make the ascent
of Fuji san is during the official climbing season, the two month period
between July 1 and August 31. There are six popular routes to the
summit, each divided into ten stations but most climbers take a bus
to station five and begin the climb from there. Depending on which
trail is taken, the summit can be reached in from five to nine hours.

The descent, through ankle deep volcanic ash much of the way,
is more of a pell-mell downward dash lasting two hours or more.

Some time ago (when my step was a bit springier and my hair had not
a hint of gray), I too joined in this homage to "Fuji san," reaching
the volcano's crest just in time to witness a most glorious sunrise!
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