'Mount Fuji' series Mountains hold a special place in Japanese religious and cultural beliefs, and Mount Fuji, Japan's tallest mountain, is the country's spiritual and cultural icon, the most sacred of three holy mountains in Japan. The mountain has been the object of pilgrimages and artworks for thousands of people over the centuries; for Kubota, Fuji was a sacred symbol that revealed new qualities each time he saw it. Kubota's fascination with Fuji was conveyed in a series of 11 kimono, intended to be shown in succession, as a composition, but each also conceptualized to stand alone as well. Possibly influenced by French Impressionists such as Claude Monet, Kubota was determined to capture the mountain in its many moods, at different times of the day, and at different seasons, whilst showing the unique character of each work, with individual sense of nature and the play of light and form. Individual works As well as designing kimono intended to work as a series, Kubota also created a number of individual works in his signature technique; some were intended for commercial sale and use, with others designed to be worn in Noh or kabuki. Other pieces were held back by Kubota himself for his own collection, as they represented milestones in the evolution of his art. Kubota and theatre Kubota's interest in the theatre began in 1940 when, as a 23 year-old, he produced costumes for a master of stage design for kabuki and ("new school" theatre). At the same time, he studied traditional Japanese dance for insight into theatrical costumes and textiles. After World War II, as a prisoner of war, Kubota created paper costumes for a prison theatre troupe. After his return home, Kubota continued his pursuit of the dyework technique, which also revived his theatrical interests. He started to incorporate theatrical elements into his work and design costumes for special dance and theatre performances. Kubota based many of his art kimono on the , a traditional full-length, unbelted outer robe with a trailing, weighted hem. He eventually significantly increased the overall length of the kimono he designed, often adding borders to expand their size even further. These over-sized kimono were ideally suited to Noh theatrical performances, where costumes are often multi-layered, with unusual textures and bold designs that help to create the larger-than-life personas of actors on a Noh stage. When Kubota built his own museum in 1994, he