Buyō Kanazawa Hasshō Yakei|雪月花 武陽金沢八勝夜景|Full Moon at Kanazawa, Province of Musashi
Medium
Triptych of woodblock prints; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
Each page: 14 7/8 x 10 1/8 in. (37.8 x 25.7 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Henry L. Phillips Collection, Bequest of Henry L. Phillips, 1939
Accession Number
JP2833a–c
Tags
Art Historical Context
This striking triptych, *Full Moon at Kanazawa, Province of Musashi*, was created by Utagawa Hiroshige in 1857 during Japan’s Edo period. A master of ukiyo-e landscape prints, Hiroshige captures the luminous glow of a full moon over the waters of Kanazawa (in present-day Yokohama). The scene belongs to his “Snow, Moon, and Flowers” (*Setsugekka*) series, which celebrates seasonal beauty across famous sites. Rendered as three woodblock prints inked in rich colors on paper, the format allows a sweeping panoramic view that draws the eye across boats gliding beneath the moonlit sky. Hiroshige’s w...
About the Artist
Utagawa Hiroshige · 1826–1869
Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858), born Andō Tokutarō, was the last great master of Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock printmaking and one of the most influential landscape artists in history. Born in Edo (modern Tokyo) into a low-ranking samurai family serving as fire wardens, Hiroshige transformed landscape printmaking into a poetic meditation on nature, weather, and everyday life. His revolutionary approac...