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Muchu-Fuji
Shortly after I finished printing “Koei-Fuji” I was looking at some blank 60 x 90 cm woodblocks lined up. Then, one of them overlapped with the image of Fuji. It was Fuji in the mist. It may have just appeared naturally because I was starting to be obsessed with Fuji at that time.
At the same time, I remembered a story I had heard from a senior teacher when I was a young teacher.
The Fujiga-mine area was a difficult place. There was no running water. We collected rainwater and used it. When mosquito larvae appeared, we tapped the corner of the barrel. When we tapped, the mosquito larvae would sink, and we would scoop up the water with a ladle and drink it. The children drank it, saying that it was okay because the water was also where the mosquito larvae appeared.
Half a century ago, when I became a teacher, this was no longer the case. However, it was known for being a very cold place with a lot of fog. This place is close to 1,000 meters above sea level. It is located in the northwestern part of the foothills of Mount Fuji. A little further north is Lake Motosu, and to the south it borders the Asagiri Plateau in Shizuoka Prefecture. People began to live there as a result of development before and after the war. It was a village that focused on dairy farming, in an area where rice cultivation was not possible. It is now the Fujigamine district of Fujikawaguchiko Town.
The novice teacher listened to his senior talk about the area, the lifestyle, and the children as if it were a story from a long, long time ago.
With the path to his creation in sight, he went out to sketch. Having been there several times before, he was familiar with the geography. He went around sketching the overlapping hills, the scattered houses, the grazing cows, and the dairy cows in the barns. He chose a clear, summer day rather than a misty day.
Fuji exists. It exists alongside human activities. It peeks out its face leisurely as if nothing had happened.
(Audience Award at the 2nd FEI PRINT AWARD Exhibition 2014)