FUJISAN (2023)

As Japan’s highest mountain and most iconic natural feature, Mount Fuji or Fuji-san represents the soul of the country. For centuries, it has held a central place in Japanese art, poetry, and spiritual life, from ancient waka poetry and Zen ink paintings to Hokusai’s famed woodblock prints. Its perfectly symmetrical form and snow-capped peak embody core Japanese values: balance, simplicity, and reverence for nature. Fuji-san is seen as both a national symbol and a sacred presence. In Shinto and Buddhist traditions, it has long been considered a spiritual gateway and a site of pilgrimage, a path toward physical and symbolic enlightenment.This photograph was captured at the very moment I first laid eyes on Mount Fuji. Its snow-capped peak merged seamlessly with the soft clouds above, rising in quiet contrast against the muted tones of the surrounding landscape.