東都名所 外桜田弁慶桜の井|Soto Sakurada, Benkei Bori, Sakura-no-i
ca. 1842
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
10 1/8 x 14 3/4 in. (25.7 x 37.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1918
Accession Number
JP618
Tags
Art Historical Context
Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858), a master ofkiyo-e woodblock, captures the serene beauty of Edo (modern Tokyo) in *Soto Sakurada, Benkeiori, Sakura-no-i* (ca. 1842 This work belongs to his series *Famous Places of the Eastern Capital*, celebrating iconic urban landmarks during the Edo period (1615–8). The title refers to the Outer Sakurada district, the Benkei Moat, and the Sakura-no-i well—a historically evocative site tied to samurai legends and everyday life amid the shogunate's bustling capital. Rendered in vibrant ink and color on paper, the print depicts a wintry scene blanketed in snow, ...
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...