Ferry boat crossing the Sumida River, from the album "Friends of the Three Capitals (Santo no tomoe)"
1832
Medium
Color woodblock print; double-page illustration from album
Dimensions
24.6 × 34.2 cm (9 11/16 × 13 1/2 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
81006
Art Historical Context
Step aboard a humble ferry on the Sumida River with Totoya Hokkei's captivating 1832 woodblock print, *Ferry boat crossing the Sumida*, from the album *Friends of Three Capitals (S no tomoe)*. double-page color woodblock illustration, measuring 24.6 × 34.2 cm, vividly captures a slice of everyday life in Edo-period Japan (modern Tokyo). Hokkei, a skilled ukiyo-e artist pupil of the legendary Katsushika Hokusai, masterfully renders the river's gentle flow, laden boats, and distant cityscape, inviting viewers into the vibrant urban rhythm of the time. As part of a collaborative album celebratin...
About the Artist
Totoya Hokkei · 1780–1850
Totoya Hokkei (魚屋 北渓, 1780–1850), born Iwakubo Tatsuyuki in Edo (modern Tokyo), began his life as a humble fishmonger in the Yotsuya Samegahashi district, a trade reflected in his art name "Totoya," meaning fish shop. He transitioned to art through rigorous training, first studying under Kanō Yōsen'in Korenobu, head of the Kobikichō branch of the prestigious Kanō school, where he honed landscape p...