Suijin Shrine and Massaki on the Sumida River (Sumidagawa Suijin no mori Massaki), from the series "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)"
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
36.2 × 24.3 cm (13 3/8 × 8 3/4 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
34061
Art Historical Context
In Utagawa Hiroshige masterful series *One Hundred Famous Views Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei)*, between 1856 and 1859, the woodblock print *Suijin Shrine and Mass on the Sumida River captures a serene moment along one of Edo's (modern-day Tokyo's) most vital waterways. Produced in Hiroshige's final years, this 1856 oban-sized print (36.2 × 24.3 cm) showcases the artist's profound sensitivity to landscape, blending the urban bustle of Edo with natural beauty during the late Edo period—a time of relative peace before Japan's rapid modernization. Hiroshige, a leading figure in the ukiyo-e tradition o...
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...