Cherry Blossom Season at Nakanocho in the Yoshiwara (Yoshiwara Nakanocho sakura toki), from the series "Famous Places in Edo (Edo meisho)"
c. 1839/42
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
25.6 × 37.3 cm (10 1/16 × 14 11/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
33922
Art Historical Context
Nestled in Utagawa Hiroshige's renowned series *Famous Places in Edo (Edo meisho)*, *Cherry Blossom Season at Nakanocho in the Yoshiwara* (c. 1839/42) captures the fleeting beauty of spring in Edo's (modern Tokyo) vibrant pleasure district. Hiroshige, a master of the ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") tradition, depicts elegant courtesans and revelers strolling under blooming cherry trees along Nakanocho street. The scene buzzes with life—pedestrians in kimonos, teahouses aglow, and petals drifting like snow—evoking the Japanese concept of *mono no aware*, the poignant impermanence of ...
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...