New Fuji, Meguro

At left of the picture a green mound rises in the shape of a mountain, with people climbing a zigzag path. Figures stand at the summit too. In the foreground are cherries in full bloom, the flow of the Meguro River, blossom viewers and a teahouse. At back right fields spread, and snow-capped Fuji floats above the line of mountains on the horizon.

The composition is a conceit of mitate, setting the small Fuji mound in the foreground beside the real Fuji far away. The red at the top of the sky, the yellow band of haze, the green mound and the white Fuji contrast vividly.

New Fuji is said to be a Fuji mound built in 1819 (Bunsei 2) in the garden of his villa by Kondo Juzo, known for his exploration of Ezo. In Edo, with the popularity of Fuji confraternities, Fuji mounds were built in many places, and it was believed that climbing one brought the same blessings as visiting Fuji.

This is the twenty-fourth print of the Spring section. It forms a pair with the next, Meguro Original Fuji, showing two Fuji mounds, new and old, in succession. The censor's seal dates it to April 1857 (Ansei 4). The conceit of placing a small Fuji mound and the real distant Fuji in one picture well expresses the faith in, and affection for, Fuji among the people of Edo.