Cherry Blossoms in Full Bloom Along the Sumida River [Sumida-gawa hana-zakari]
1839-1842
![Cherry Blossoms in Full Bloom Along the Sumida River [Sumida-gawa hana-zakari] by Andō Hiroshige](https://images.artheonmuseum.org/nga/thumb/cherry-blossoms-in-full-bloom-along-the-sumida-nga-183183.webp)
Medium
color woodcut on Japanese paper
Dimensions
sheet: 25.4 × 37.47 cm (10 × 14 3/4 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Corcoran Collection (Bequest of Frank B. Bristow)
Accession Number
2015.143.95
Art Historical Context
Andō Hiroshige, a master of the ukiyo-e woodblock print tradition, captures the ephemeral beauty of spring in *Cherry Blossoms in Bloom Along the Sumida* (1839–1842). This vibrant color woodcut depicts the Sumida River in Edo (modern-day Tokyo), lined with blooming sakura trees under a clear blue sky. Crowds of figures in traditional kimonos stroll and boat along the waterway, evoking the lively atmosphere of urban Japan during the Edo period Hiroshige's keen eye for nature and human activity made him one of the era's most celebrated landscape artists. Printed on delicate Japanese paper using...
About the Artist
Andō 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...