東海道五十三次 土山 春の雨|Spring Rain at Tsuchiyama, from the series Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō
1834–35
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
H. 9 1/2 in. (24.1 cm); W. 14 in. (35.6 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1918
Accession Number
JP520
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the iconic series *Fifty-three Stations of the Tkaidō*, Utagawa Hiroshige captures the poetic beauty of Japan's historic coastal highway, which linked Edo (modern Tokyo) to Kyoto during the Edo period (1615–1868). This 1834–35 woodblock print depicts *Spring Rain at Tsuchiyama*, the 52nd station, where weary travelers huddle under wide conical hats (kasa) on a rain-slicked bridge amid budding trees. Hiroshige, a master of the ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") tradition, elevates everyday scenes into timeless landscapes, blending human figures with nature to evoke the transient joys...
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...