36 Views of Mount Fuji, Lightning Below the Summit, Japanese Print

Katsushika Hokusai – Lightning Below the Summit Prints

Experience Mount Fuji transformed by violent weather with a Hokusai Lightning Below the Summit print. Created around 1830–32 for the Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji series, this dramatic Japanese woodblock design is also commonly known as Thunderstorm Beneath the Summit or Rainstorm Beneath the Summit.

A brilliant flash of lightning cuts across Fuji's dark lower slopes while the mountain's snow-covered summit rises above the storm. The result is one of Hokusai's most powerful explorations of the contrast between temporary weather and the apparent permanence of Japan's most famous mountain.

A Thunderstorm on Mount Fuji

Hokusai divides the mountain into two dramatically different atmospheric zones.

Above the clouds, the summit remains clearly defined against the sky. Below them, Fuji becomes dark and threatening as the storm gathers around its lower slopes.

A jagged bolt of lightning tears through this darker region.

The lightning is represented by an abrupt graphic line rather than naturalistic modelling, making the sudden electrical flash feel startlingly immediate.

Painting Style and Composition

Stillness Above, Violence Below

The design is built around contrast.

Fuji's upper cone appears calm and monumental, while the lower mountain is consumed by turbulent cloud and lightning.

This creates the impression that the storm is temporary and localised while the mountain itself rises beyond it.

Hokusai therefore makes weather into a central part of the subject rather than merely an atmospheric background.

A Companion to Red Fuji

Lightning Below the Summit is compositionally related to Hokusai's famous Red Fuji.

In both designs the mountain dominates the image and there are no foreground figures or elaborate city scenes.

The mood, however, changes completely.

Red Fuji presents clear weather, warm light and stillness. Lightning Below the Summit replaces tranquillity with dark cloud, heavy tonal contrasts and a violent flash of electricity.

Displayed together, the two prints demonstrate Hokusai's ability to transform essentially the same mountain shape through changing weather alone.

Hokusai's Graphic Treatment of Nature

Hokusai did not need photographic realism to make natural forces convincing.

The lightning bolt is simplified almost into an abstract zigzag. Darkened slopes and cloud forms establish the storm, while the summit remains sharply recognisable.

This economy is characteristic of his best landscape designs. Complex phenomena are reduced to clear visual signs without losing their force.

Blue in the Thirty-Six Views

The series is closely associated with the growing availability of Prussian blue in Japanese printmaking.

Hokusai used blue extensively for skies, water, distance and outlines, and its strength contributed significantly to the distinctive appearance of the Fuji series.

In this design, blue interacts with dark storm tones and the reddish-brown mountain, producing a markedly different mood from the brilliant seas of The Great Wave.

Lightning Below the Summit Wall Art

A Hokusai Mount Fuji thunderstorm print is particularly effective where a more dramatic alternative to traditional tranquil Japanese landscapes is wanted.

The dark mountain, blue sky and sharp lightning work well with contemporary, minimalist, industrial and Japanese-inspired interiors.

It can also form part of a Mount Fuji gallery wall alongside Red Fuji, The Great Wave and quieter landscapes from the Thirty-Six Views series.

About Katsushika Hokusai

Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) spent much of his long career experimenting with new approaches to drawing, colour and composition.

Although ukiyo-e had traditionally been associated strongly with actors and fashionable urban life, Hokusai helped make landscape one of its great subjects.

His curiosity extended to perspective, weather, water, human movement, plants, animals and supernatural imagery.

By the time he designed Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji, Hokusai was already an experienced artist in his seventies. The series demonstrates the remarkable confidence and economy of his mature work.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Lightning Below the Summit also called?

The work is commonly translated as Thunderstorm Beneath the Summit or Rainstorm Beneath the Summit.

When did Hokusai create the print?

It belongs to the early 1830s period of Hokusai's Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji.

What does the print depict?

It shows a thunderstorm surrounding the lower slopes of Mount Fuji while the summit rises clearly above the turbulent weather.

Is Lightning Below the Summit part of Thirty-Six Views?

Yes. It is one of the best-known designs from the series.

How does it differ from Red Fuji?

The two compositions both emphasise the mountain itself, but Red Fuji depicts calm clear weather while Lightning Below the Summit introduces storm cloud and lightning.

Is the original a painting?

No. It was created as a colour woodblock print.

What interiors suit this Hokusai print?

Its dramatic tonal contrasts work especially well in contemporary, minimalist, Japanese-inspired and darker modern interiors.

SIZING - FRAMED PRINTS:

The sizes refer to the print area - framed prints have approx 2 inch wide white mount and approx 1 inch wide frame

Frames are made from responsibly sourced wood and gallery quality acrylic glazing.

All orders for unframed fine art prints and original paintings are dispatched within 2 working days of receipt of payment.

Orders for custom framed prints are dispatched within 4 working days.

All orders are fully tracked from dispatch to delivery at your home or business.

All print and original painting orders are fully insured against loss or damage in transit. We refund or replace any damaged or lost orders.

Buy with confidence - read what our satisfied customers have to say - Reviews

SIZING - EUROPEAN A7 - A0:

A7 2-15/16 x 4-1/8 in 74 x 105 mm
A6 4-1/8 x 5-7/8 in 105 x 148 mm
A5 5-7/8 x 8-1/4 in 148 x 210 mm
A4 8-1/4 x 11-3/4 in 210 x 297 mm
A3 11-3/4 x 16-1/2 in 297 x 420 mm
A2 16-1/2 x 23-3/8 in 420 x 594 mm
A1 23-3/8 x 33-1/8 in 594 x 841 mm
A0 33-1/8 x 46-13/16 in 841 x 1188 mm