This is Mount Fuji, but not as you might know it, seen here from above. It was printed as a keepsafe for pilgrims to the Sengen Shrine on Japan’s highest mountain.

There’s a splendid blog post about this (and other Japanese maps) by Sonia Favi on the John Rylands blog at the moment.

They write: “The map is an aerial representation (a style for which the painter, Utagawa Sadahide, was famous, so much that he was known as sora tobu eshi, “the flying painter”). It depicts the two divine founders of the Fuji cult at the centre of the crater, and pilgrims on the slopes. It could be cut and assembled as a 3D reproduction of the mountain. It was a keepsake of the journey, or a gift for those who couldn’t afford it: a commodified way to experience the sacredness of Fuji at home.”

 As we can’t go travelling in lockdown, the next few objects on this blog are all going to be maps. Let’s see where we might explore from the comfort and safety of our own homes …