Pictures of Landscapes (Fukeiga)
In the earliest period of ukiyoe, landscape pictures were fairly generalized depictions of mountains, streams, and famous spots, and did not stand out as particularly distinctive. After a time, a form called uki-e appeared. These uki-e took their cue from Western techniques of perspective to convey a sense of distance and depth. In this style, pictures were done, for example, of actors' dressing rooms, brothel interiors, sumo matches, famous temples, and other spots of interest.
After the beginning of the 19th century, Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Hiroshige pioneered the new genre which came to be known as fukeiga, bringing together the features of uki-e, meisho-e (pictures of famous spots), and sansuiga (pictures of mountains and streams). Among Hokusai's fukeiga is the series of masterpieces called "Thirty-Six Views of Mt. Fuji, "which depicted Mt. Fuji under many different conditions. Hiroshige produced a series of prints called "The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido, "showing scenes along the route from Edo to Kyoto. The emotive tenor of works by these two artists has resonated deeply with the Japanese sensitivity and their works are still widely loved and appreciated.
