Pilgrims Climbing Mount Fuji

Mount Fuji, so often depicted with a smooth surface, here reveals its craggy face. People walk along a zigzagging path leading to the summit. Their white attire, straw hats, and walking sticks signal that they are pilgrims of the Fuji cult, which venerated the famous mountain as a god. The path upward is dotted with little huts, which were built and managed by local villagers for use by pilgrims. At the top of the mountain, five Buddhist sculptures are lined up in front of the crater, further highlighting the religious significance of the mountain. Though painters had depicted Mount Fuji since at least the 11th century, paintings and prints depicting routes up the mountain became common around the late 18th and early 19th centuries.