Hokusai achieved enormous success with the publication between 1829 and 1832 of his series of colour prints 'Thirty-six views of Mount Fuji' (Fugaku sanjûrokkei). That series was later extended by a further ten prints. Following this he went on to design these 102 views of Fuji that were published in three volumes over a period of about fifteen years. They were printed from blocks made in the workshop of the master carver Egawa Tomekichi. For these books, Hokusai chose to work in monochrome: a fine black line and various subtle shades of grey, concentrating on eccentric and imaginative compositions, rather than the realistic depiction of actual places.

Mount Fuji is a popular subject for Japanese art because of its cultural and religious significance. This belief can be traced to 'The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter', where a goddess deposits the elixir of life on the peak. Mt. Fuji was seen from an early time as the source of the secret of immortality, a tradition that was at the heart of Hokusai's own obsession with the mountain.