Takanawa no Meigetsu|東都名所 高輪之明月|Full Moon at Takanawa
ca. 1831
Medium
Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
Dimensions
H. 9 5/8 in. (24.4 cm); W. 15 1/8 in. (38.4 cm)
Classification
Prints
Culture & Period
Japan · Edo period (1615–1868)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1922
Accession Number
JP1313
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Full Moon at Takanawa (Takanawa no Meigetsu)** From Utagawa Hirosh's early series *Eastern Capital Famous Places* (ōto Meisho), created around 1831, this woodblock print captures poetic nocturnal scene at Takanawa, a coastal area near Edo (modern Tokyo). During Japan's Edo period (16151868), such *ukiyo-e* prints celebrated the "floating world" of everyday beauty, blending urban life with nature. Hiroshige, a master of landscape depiction, masterfully conveys the serene glow of the full moon illuminating boats on the water and birds in flight, evoking the Japanese tradition of *tsukimi*—mo...
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...