The Compound of the Tenman Shrine at Kameido in the Snow (Kameido Tenmangu keidai no yuki), from the series "Famous Places in the Eastern Capital (Toto meisho)"
c. 1832/38
Medium
Color woodblock print; oban
Dimensions
22.6 × 34.3 cm (8 7/8 × 13 1/2 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
25436
Art Historical Context
Nestled within Utagawa Hiroshige's renowned series *Famous Places in the Eastern CapitalToto meisho)*, *The Compound of Tenman Shrine at Kameido the Snow* (c. 1832/38) captures a serene winter moment in Edo (modern-day Tokyo). Hiroshige, a master the ukiyo-e woodblock print tradition, elevated imagery to poetic heights, blending everyday scenes with atmospheric beauty. This oban-sized print (22.6 × 34.3 cm) showcases the shrine's compound blanketed in snow, evoking the quiet reverence of Tenmangu, a Shinto site dedicated to the scholar Sugawara no Michizane, revered for learning and plum bloss...
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...