3.Rainstorm Beneath the Summit 山下白雨

Among all the depictions of Mount Fuji by Hokusai, this is the most sharply towering.
Hokusai's Fuji is always steeper than in reality, but in "Shower Below the Summit", it is particularly pointed.

"Shower" (白雨, haku-u) refers to the sudden, localized downpours seen in summer.
Cumulonimbus clouds loom over the surroundings, and thunder rumbles in the distance.
These storm clouds are positioned lower than Mount Fuji itself—
a deliberate choice by Hokusai to emphasize its towering height.

By sharpening the peak to an extreme point,
he creates a sense of depth, making the summit feel even farther away.
As a result, the mountain’s majestic presence is amplified.

And what boldness in his depiction of lightning!
It is an expression of pure necessity—neither excessive nor lacking.
Hokusai allows no waste.
By stripping everything to its bare essence, he generates an ultimate tension.

The white rain, pouring down in tandem with the thunder,
transforms the landscape in an instant.
Hokusai has captured that fleeting, dramatic shift in this single composition.

The air around the lightning darkens even further,
making the peak of Mount Fuji shine even brighter above.
As if it were overwhelming even the lightning itself.

Herein lies Hokusai’s discerning eye for beauty.

02

Hokusai was well aware of Western perspective techniques, yet he did not hesitate to break them when necessary to achieve a better compositional balance.

Fukagawa Mannenbashi

Fukagawa Mannenbashi is a taiko bridge spanning the Oyoko River, a tributary of the Sumida River. The skillful combination of arcs, vertical lines, horizontal lines, and diagonals accentuates depth, leading the viewer's eye to the farthest point in the composition—Mount Fuji.

In strict adherence to perspective, the rooftops on both the right and left banks would be much higher. However, Hokusai deliberately kept them lower to extend the visual length of the row of warehouses on the opposite bank. This extended straight line forms a subtle yet exquisite balance with the arch of the taiko bridge. As a result, the depth of the opposite shore expands, creating a greater sense of spatial depth.

Hokusai’s composition goes beyond mere manipulation of perspective. The elements within the painting—the takasebune (shallow-draft boat) and the fisherman in the foreground, the taiko bridge and the people crossing it in the middle ground, and Mount Fuji and the row of warehouses in the background—interact to create a dynamic interplay of visual balance and counterbalance.

This interplay establishes both tension and stability, drawing the viewer’s gaze deeper into the scene. At the furthest point, Mount Fuji sits in solemn repose—an anchor of the composition.

This is why Hokusai is hailed as the master of composition. For him, the balance of composition surpasses the rules of perspective.

Herein lies Hokusai’s discerning eye for beauty.