魚づくし こちに茄子|Kochi Fish with Eggplant, from the series Uozukushi (Every Variety of Fish)
1830s
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
11 1/4 x 14 9/16 in. (28.6 x 37 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Bryan Holme, 1980
Accession Number
JP3592
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant world of Edo-period Japan (1615–1868), Utagawa Hiroige, a master of ukiyo-e wood prints, captured the beauty of everyday life with poetic precision. This charming print, *Kochi Fish with Egg* from the series *Uukushi (Every Variety of Fish)*, dates to the 1830s. It showcases a bounty of small silver kochi fish artfully arranged alongside glossy purple eggplants, evoking the fish markets of urban Japan. Hiroshige's keen eye for texture and color transforms humble seafood into a visual feast, highlighting seasonal pairings central to Japanese cuisine. Crafted as a woodblock print...
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...