Night Rain at Oyama, from the series Eight Views of Famous Places

This print depicts Mount Ōyama, a sacred site in Kanagawa Prefecture housing both Shinto and Buddhist shrines, including the Ōyama Afuri Shrine dedicated to the rain deity. This site made the Eight Views theme of Night Rain particularly appropriate. Along with rain’s importance to agriculture, it also was connected to Shinto beliefs about rain’s cleansing properties, spiritual renewal and purification.

The artwork features diagonal rain lines creating dynamic movement across the scene. Dark blues, greens, and browns convey nightfall, while Mount Fuji looms in the misty background. Look closely— small figures with umbrellas climb the mountain’s stairs, emphasizing the site’s importance as a pilgrimage destination for rain prayers during the Edo period.