Nihon Temple on Mount Nokogiri, Boshu Province (Boshu Nokogiriyama Nihonji) from the series “One Hundred Famous Views in the Various Provinces (Shokoku meisho hyakkei)”

Art Historical Context

**Nihon Temple on Mount Nokogiri, Boshu Province** *Utagawa Hiroshige II (Shigenobu), 1859* Color woodblock print; Art Institute of Chicago, Arts of Asia This stunning color woodblock print captures the dramatic Nihon Temple (Nihonji) perched on the rugged cliffs of Mount Nokogiri in Boshu Province (modern-day Chiba Prefecture). Created by Utagawa Hiroshige II, a talented pupil and adopted son of the legendary Hiroshige I, it belongs to the series *One Hundred Famous Views in the Various Provinces (Shokoku meisho hyakkei)*. Published between 1859 and 1861, the series extended Hiroshige I's masterful landscape tradition beyond Edo, showcasing scenic wonders across Japan during the final years of the Edo period. Hiroshige II's ukiyo-e style shines through precise woodblock techniques, layering vibrant colors and subtle gradients to evoke the misty atmosphere and towering stone formations of the mountain. At 34.9 × 23.5 cm, these affordable prints brought distant beauty to urban viewers, blending reverence for nature and Buddhist sites with everyday wanderlust. Nihonji, famed for its colossal rock-carved Buddhist figures, symbolizes spiritual harmony amid nature's grandeur—a poignant reflection of Japan's Shinto-Buddhist fusion amid looming modernization. A gem for fans of Hiroshige's poetic vistas! (198 words)

About the Artist

Utagawa Hiroshige II (Shigenobu) · 1826–1869

Utagawa Hiroshige II, born Suzuki Chinpei in 1826, was one of the most accomplished ukiyo-e artists of mid-nineteenth century Japan. He entered the studio of the celebrated landscape master Utagawa Hiroshige I — known for his iconic series "The Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido" — and proved himself the most talented of the elder artist's few students. So highly regarded was the young pupil that...