The Sazai Hall of the Temple of the Five
Hundred Arhats (Gohyaku Rakanji Sazaidō), from
the series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei), ca. 1830-31

Color woodblock print

9 3/4 x 14 13/16 inches (24.8 x 37.6 cm)

Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Samuel S. White 3rd and Vera White Collection, 1967

1967-30-181

The Sazai Hall or “Turbo Hall,” so named because its spiral stairway reminded people of the twisting-shape of a shell, of Rakanji Temple was a popular tourist spot in the city of Edo. The unusual three-story building offered unparalleled views from its top. In Hokusai’s print, visitors dressed in summer kimono gaze at the distant Mount Fuji while enjoying the cool breezes such height affords, a rare respite from the oppressive summer heat of the city.

Quintana Heathman