Plum-blossom viewing in the third month at Sumida River from the series Annual Events at Famous Places in the Eastern Capital (Tōto meisho nenjū gyōji sangatsu sumitagawa waka mōde)
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
Image: 14 1/2 in. × 10 in. (36.8 × 25.4 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Museum Accession
Accession Number
JP1093.10
Tags
Art Historical Context
In this enchanting woodblock print from 1854, Utagawa Hiroshige captures the serene beauty of plum-blossom viewing along the Sumida River in Edo (modern-day Tokyo). Titled *Plum-blossom viewing in the third month at Sumida River* from his series *Annual Events at Famous Places in the Eastern Capital*, the image depicts elegant women strolling beneath blooming trees, their kimonos fluttering in the spring breeze. Hiroshige, a master of the ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") tradition, masterfully blends delicate pink blossoms with the river's gentle flow, evoking the ephemeral joy of ha...
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...