Sketch of Ryogoku Bridge
19th century
Medium
Ink on paper
Dimensions
24.5 × 34.5 cm (9 5/8 × 13 9/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
109297
Art Historical Context
Utagawa Hiroshige II, also known as Shigenobu, belonged to the celebrated Utagawa school of ukiyo-e artists active in 19th-century Japan. His works often focused on famous places and everyday scenes from Edo (modern-day Tokyo), continuing the tradition established by his predecessor, Hiroshige I. This delicate ink sketch of Ryogoku Bridge captures one of the city’s most iconic landmarks, a wooden structure spanning the Sumida River that served as a vital link for commerce, travel, and leisure. Ryogoku Bridge held deep cultural resonance during the Edo period, frequently appearing in literatur...
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...