The Start of the Climbing Season, frontispiece of the literary magazine "Bungei kurabu" (Literary Club), vol. 16, no. 8 

In the Meiji Era (1868–1912), the woodcut frontispiece which had been used for books to attract readers began to be used for literary magazines, too. Publisher Hakubunkan started using complex multicolor woodblock prints for its publication Bungei Club. At first, the pictures depicted characters from the stories in the magazine, but it soon proved burdensome to have to wait for the stories before doing the art. And so frontispieces featuring beautiful woman in seasonal settings were used. This is one such work by the artist Ogata Gekko, who regularly did frontispieces and illustrations of this kind in addition to creating his own paintings. The opening of the climbing season is an occasion to pray for the safety of climbers at the beginning of the summer. The woman is shown holding a snake made from wheat straw, a charm believed to ward off evil spirits in accordance with Mount Fuji folklore dating back to the middle of the Edo Period (1603–1868).
(YATSUYANAGI Sae)