江戸名所四十八景 神田明神|Kanda Temple Snow
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
7 1/4 x 9 1/4 in. (18.4 x 23.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Julia H. Manges, in memory of her husband, Dr. Morris Manges, 1960
Accession Number
JP3414
Tags
Art Historical Context
In this enchanting woodblock print from 1861, Utagawa Hiroshige captures a serene winter moment at Kanda Myōjin Shrine, part of his renowned series *Famous Places of Edo: Views*. Amidst softly falling snow, ancient trees frame the shrine's torii gate and stone lanterns, while tiny human figures—pilgrims bundled against the cold—add a sense of quiet daily life. Hiroshige a master of the ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") tradition, elevates this everyday Edo scene into poetry through his atmospheric touch. Created late in the Edo period (1615–1868), when woodblock prints were an affor...
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...