Mount Shichimen, which I can see from my studio, is a holy mountain, about 1,900 meters high. On the top of it, there is Keishin-in Temple dedicated to Shichimen Daimyojin (the great guardian deity of Mount Shichimen). I took five hours to climb up Mount Shichimen with my mother, to attend the annual grand festival, and then confined ourselves in Keishin-in Temple for prayers. The next morning, before the morning service, when we came outside to pray to the rising sun, we saw a sea of clouds all around. Some mountain tops peeped up from here and there among the clouds, and we saw the beautiful Mount Fuji behind them. Before long, the rising sun dyed the sea of clouds a golden color. It was so amazingly beautiful that I was watching it in fascination, forgetful of the chill outside, and it was then, I made up my mind to paint this scenery (as I watched with my mother by my side) one day.

Two years later, I drew this image on a Fusuma (sliding screen), and Mount Fuji was listed as a World Heritage site another two years after completing this work.

I applied a gradation of gold and purple of Cassius on the base, and drew a sea of clouds with bold white lines, that are characteristic of my work. Because extremely simple composition and techniques are used, any mistakes of even a single line-break cannot be permitted. I completed each line carefully looking for ways to draw impeccable lines in one long breath.

This resulted in a simple and elegant creation – very “Eisui”like!

The Kiri (paulownia wood) boards joined together to form a Fusuma are very light, and you can feel the warmth of

the wood by touching them lightly.

I decided to leave the grains at the top of the picture as it is because I thought that one would like to enjoy the changing texture of the board with the years. After decades, the grains of wood will appear vertically on the surface of the visible wood structure, and then I can imagine the balance of those grains and white lines I had drawn before taking a unique appearance.

I have received a number of inquiries of “Fuji Raikou-zu” on wooden doors of residences and Kuri (priest’s kitchen

and living room). The price varies in accordance with the specification of fittings and kinds of wood used.

Shown below is the price only for painting, and other than that, it will cost for wood, making charges for Fusuma,

and its installation.

Please feel free to contact me and let me know your preferences including image and budget, so that I can seek the best possible way to fit into your needs.