Evening Bell at Ikegami (Ikegami no bansho), from the series "Eight Views in the Environs of Edo (Edo kinko hakkei no uchi)"
c. 1837/38
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
22.2 × 34.9 cm (8 3/4 × 13 3/4 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
25269
Art Historical Context
Utagawa Hiroshige created this evocative color woodblock print around 1837–38 as part of his series “Eight Views in the Environs of Edo.” The title “Evening Bell ategami” invites viewers to imagine the quiet tolling of a temple bell at dusk in the Ikegami district, a poetic theme drawn from classical Chinese and Japanese traditions of capturing fleeting moments in nature and daily life. Hiroshige, a leading figure in the ukiyo-e school, specialized in such landscape series that brought the beauty of Japan’s countryside and outskirts to urban audiences during the late Edo period. The oban-size...
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...