South Wind, Clear Sky, from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji

This Hokusai print depicts Mount Fuji in the summer or fall. The first six kanji characters in the white banner read fugaku sanjūrokkei, which translates roughy to "thirty-six different views (places) of Mount Fuji" - a reference to the series to which this print belongs. The next four kanji characters read gaifu kaisei which means the southern wind that blows during Summer and Fall in Japan and gives Mount Fuji a reddish hue.

After this series, Hokusai also created a series titled One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji. In both series, Hokusai depicts Mount Fuji from different perspectives and in different seasons and weather. One interpretation of the meaning behind these numerous studies of Mount Fuji is to show the steadfastness of the mountain - change in life is inevitable but Fuji-san stands still.

Mt. Fuji, Japan’s highest mountain, appeared in most Japanese 19th-century travel literature. Maps sometimes showed its location with a Fuji-shaped icon and indicated where travelers could get the best view of it. Between 1829 and 1833, Hokusai created a print series depicting thirty-six views of the mountain, including this one, sometimes known as “Red Fuji.” The season in this scene is a time between late summer and early autumn, when the mountain takes on a reddish hue.