Fireworks at Ryōgoku (Ryōgoku hanabi), from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
36 × 24.1 cm (14 3/16 × 9 1/2 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
26522
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
In this dramatic woodblock print, lanterns glow aboard boats drifting on the Sumida River while fireworks explode in the clear, moonless night sky overhead. The setting is late summer or early fall, the hottest time of the year, and those who can afford the recreation enjoy the cool of the evening on pleasure boats. The remaining light from the fireworks permits the viewer to make out the details of travelers crowding the bridge and buildings on the far shore.
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...