Landscape with Willow Trees
19th century
Medium
Woodblock print (surimono); ink and color on paper
Dimensions
5 7/16 x 7 3/8 in. (13.8 x 18.7 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929
Accession Number
JP2074
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Landscape with Willow Trees** Ryūryūkyo Shinsai is a 19th-century woodblock print from Edo period (16151868), capturing the serene beauty of nature through gracefully swaying willow trees. Shinsai, a master the ukiyo-e tradition, specialized in surimono—luxurious, privately commissioned prints often created for New Year's greetings or gatherings. This intimate format, measuring just 5 7/16 x 7 3/8 inches, allowed for exquisite detail and vibrant colors applied with ink on paper, evoking the fleeting elegance of seasonal landscapes. Surimono like this one showcase advanced woodblock techniqu...
About the Artist
Ryūryūkyo Shinsai · 1799–1823
Ryūryūkyo Shinsai (柳々居辰斎), active from 1799 to 1823, was a prominent Japanese ukiyo-e printmaker based in Edo (modern Tokyo), renowned for his mastery of surimono—luxurious, privately commissioned woodblock prints produced for elite poetry circles and New Year's celebrations. He began his training under Tawaraya Sōri before becoming a student of the legendary Katsushika Hokusai, from whom he recei...