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Fuji in Clear Weather (from the series Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji)- Katsushika Hokusai, early 1830’s.
American bombers pass Mt Fuji as they attack Tokyo, which they are firebombing into nothing.
I’ve been haunted by the rhyme of these two images before, and now the photograph turns up as part of a collection from Tinian. Besides covering the expressionist wreckage and routines of the American base, there are photos from the Japanese, copied during the war. I imagine they were found in the ruins after the Japanese army was destroyed. They too are poignant.
This is an aside. I am really pointing to a lovely post by Simon Sellars which mixes Tinian and J.G.Ballard, finding other sets of rhymes. He is currently travelling, writing a guidebook for Lonely Planet.
June 20th, 2006 at 1:57 pm
The best known of the Mt Fuji series is probably the single most famous Japanese painting outside of Japan. The “tsunami” one, although it’s really about fishermen on the high seas. The mountain waits patiently in the background.
p.s. I hope all’s progressing to plan.