Teppozu, from the series "Famous Places in the Eastern Capital (Toto meisho)"
c. 1832/33
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
25.4 × 37.5 cm (10 × 14 3/4 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
29557
Art Historical Context
Behold *Teppozu*, a captivating color woodblock print by the renowned ukiyo-e master Utagawa Kuniyoshi, created around 1832–33 as part of his series *Famous Places the Eastern Capital (Tto meisho)*. oban-sized work (25.4 × 37.5 cm) captures a scenic vista of Teppozu, a notable district in Edo (modern-day Tokyo), evoking the bustling energy of Japan's urban heart during the Edo period. Kuniyoshi, celebrated for his dynamic warrior prints and whimsical subjects, here showcases his skill in landscape depiction, blending precise observation with poetic atmosphere. Ukiyo-e prints like this one wer...
About the Artist
Utagawa Kuniyoshi · 1797–1861
Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797–1861) was born in Edo to the silk-dyer Yanagiya Kichiyemon, originally bearing the childhood name Yoshisaburō. From a young age, he assisted in his family's pattern design work, which sharpened his innate mastery of color and textile motifs that would permeate his later prints. At around twelve years old, his prodigious drawing skills drew the attention of the renowned Utag...