Sakanoshita: The Throwing Away the Brush Peak - Utagawa Hiroshige

A classic woodblock print from Hiroshige's Tōkaidō series, depicting the legendary Fude-sute-yama mountain and a quiet roadside teahouse.

This woodblock print is part of the series The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō, a collection documenting the route between Edo and Kyoto. Utagawa Hiroshige captures the station of Sakanoshita, specifically focusing on the mountain known as Fude-sute-yama, or the Throwing Away the Brush Peak. The name derives from a legend concerning a painter who, overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of the mountain, discarded his brush in the belief that he could never adequately capture its form.

Hiroshige employs a balanced composition that contrasts the rugged, steep slopes of the mountain with the quiet activity of the teahouse in the foreground. The mountain is rendered with sharp, angular lines and deep blue tones, suggesting a formidable presence. In contrast, the teahouse provides a human element, with travellers resting under a thatched roof. The lower portion of the print features a gentle slope where a figure leads a pack animal, grounding the scene in the daily life of the Tōkaidō road. The colour palette remains restrained, using muted ochres for the earth and soft blues for the distant peaks and water, which creates a sense of atmospheric depth.

As a master of the Ukiyo-e tradition, Hiroshige demonstrates his ability to combine topographical accuracy with poetic observation. The print avoids excessive detail, allowing the viewer to focus on the interplay between the natural environment and the travellers passing through it. This work remains a classic example of the genre, reflecting the artist's keen eye for the nuances of travel and the changing moods of the Japanese countryside during the Edo period.