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January 2023

A Photographer Who Captures the Overwhelming Mystery of Mt. Fuji

  • Mt. Fuji above a sea of clouds
  • Mt. Fuji viewed over a snowy ridge
  • Mt. Fuji from the Blue Ink series
  • A swan on Lake Yamanaka with Mt. Fuji on the horizon
Mt. Fuji above a sea of clouds

Photographer TAKASHI has continued to photograph the overwhelming mystery of Mt. Fuji since first encountering the fantastical mountain in 2011. His photographs have been highly acclaimed both in Japan and abroad.

Mt. Fuji viewed over a snowy ridge

When a spring photograph of a majestic Mt. Fuji viewed over cherry blossoms and a five-story pagoda in Arakurayama Sengen Park (see here) was selected for the cover of the spring edition of National Geographic’s Traveler magazine in 2018, it created quite a sensation around the world. The scene was captured by photographer TAKASHI, a man who is fascinated with Mt. Fuji.

TAKASHI began photographing Mt. Fuji in 2011, having experienced a fantastical moment. The shores of Lake Yamanaka were surrounded by a sea of white mist, and as the night began to fade, the mist gradually lifted. As Mt. Fuji began to appear, he saw a single swan on the lake basking in the morning sun. Since his unexpected encounter with this sight, TAKASHI has continued to take photographs focusing on Mt. Fuji, making forty to fifty trips a year in search of scenic spots. As a result, he has taken as many as 400,000 photographs so far.

Mt. Fuji from the Blue Ink series

TAKASHI says, “Mt. Fuji is a towering mountain with a single peak more than 3,000 meters above sea level, and you can see the mountain’s beauty from any angle. In addition to Arakurayama Sengen Park where I took the cover photo for Traveler, there are many locations I can recommend to view the varied scenery of Mt. Fuji depending on weather conditions, such as the FUJIYAMA Twin Terrace that looks down on Lake Kawaguchi.”

His photographs of Mt. Fuji have been printed in Greatest Landscapes, a collection of photos published by National Geographic, and he is well-known overseas. In recent years, TAKASHI has also been focusing his efforts on artwork that is distinct from his typical natural scenery photographs. In his Blue Ink series, he has removed all unnecessary motifs other than Mt. Fuji as much as possible, even refraining from using the rich colors that are one of Mt. Fuji’s most attractive features, and he has tried to approach the image of the mountain as simply as possible (see photo). TAKASHI says that Mt. Fuji is a mountain that inspires artists, encouraging them to attempt to show something that is not normally seen. As he himself tries to express such extraordinary scenes, it seems as though TAKASHI carefully collects the appearance of actual moments he encounters when taking photographs.

A swan on Lake Yamanaka with Mt. Fuji on the horizon

His various photographs including the Blue Ink series has been highly acclaimed, winning many awards in photo contests in Japan and abroad and having received inquiries from major international companies and fashion magazines. Surely the overwhelming mystery of Mt. Fuji is conveyed to viewers through these photos.