Who painted Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji: The Tea Plantation at Katakura in Suruga Province, and when?

Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji: The Tea Plantation at Katakura in Suruga Province is by Katsushika Hokusai, made in c. 1830-33 (Tenpo 1-4). Medium: Woodblock print (ukiyo-e).

Where can I see Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji: The Tea Plantation at Katakura in Suruga Province?

It is held by Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo Fuji Art Museum, Edo-Tokyo Museum. Exhibitions change, so check each museum's information before you visit.

Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji ・ 44

The Tea Plantation at Katakura in Suruga Province

冨嶽三十六景駿州片倉茶園ノ不二

On a broad tea plantation, women in straw hats line up picking tea while men carry the picked leaves. A horse with a load crosses a small bridge, and above it a snowy Fuji looms large, in a working landscape of tea country Suruga.

Artist: Katsushika Hokusai
Date: c. 1830-33 (Tenpo 1-4)
Medium / format: Woodblock print (ukiyo-e)
Series: Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji 46 prints
Place depicted: Katakura（Shizuoka）
Seen in the distance: Mount Fuji

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About this work

In the tea field of the middle ground, women in matching straw hats crouch in rows picking tea leaves. At left in the foreground men carry baskets, and in front of the building at right large containers for the picked leaves are lined up. At the small bridge in the foreground, a man leads a horse loaded with cargo across. Thatched houses line up beyond the distant fields, suggesting the extent of the tea gardens.

At right a big tree spreads its branches, and mist crosses above a thatched building. Fuji at the center of the picture shifts from snow white to indigo slopes, making a crisp contrast with the pale yellow of the tea fields. The stream flowing between the tea fields winds toward the foreground, giving the picture depth.

Suruga (today's Shizuoka Prefecture) was known as a tea-producing region. However, the place name "Katakura" has not been confirmed, and the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum raises the possibility that Tokura in Shimizu Town, Sunto District, Shizuoka Prefecture, was carved by mistake. The place depicted is not clear. It is one of the ten prints added after the 36, with the lines printed in black ink.

The place today

The location of the Katakura depicted is not clear, but at the southern foot of Mount Fuji there are still places where Fuji can be seen over tea fields. The city of Fuji introduces "Obuchi Sasaba" in Obuchi, Fuji City, as a spot for photographing Fuji over a tea plantation free of power lines, and asks visitors not to enter the tea fields since they are private land.

Where can I see it?

Exhibitions change over time. Check each museum's exhibition information before you visit.

Museums that hold this work

Tokyo National Museum
Taito City, Tokyo　Accession no. A-11177
From the set of 34 sheets of Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji
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Tokyo Fuji Art Museum
Hachioji
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Edo-Tokyo Museum
Sumida City, Tokyo　Accession no. 92202786
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Museums that hold this series (please check the museum's website for whether it holds this print)

Yamanashi Prefectural Museum
Fuefuki
Complete set of 46 sheets
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Frequently asked questions

Who painted Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji: The Tea Plantation at Katakura in Suruga Province, and when?: Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji: The Tea Plantation at Katakura in Suruga Province is by Katsushika Hokusai, made in c. 1830-33 (Tenpo 1-4). Medium: Woodblock print (ukiyo-e).
What place does Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji: The Tea Plantation at Katakura in Suruga Province show?: It shows Katakura (Shizuoka).
Where can I see Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji: The Tea Plantation at Katakura in Suruga Province?: It is held by Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo Fuji Art Museum, Edo-Tokyo Museum. Exhibitions change, so check each museum's information before you visit.